Going Green: Converting to Reusable Items

One of the best and most affordable ways to go green is to start buying and using reusable items. It is becoming more and more difficult in our throwaway society to find enough places to dump our millions of tons of garbage. Using reusable items will greatly reduce the amount of trash that we create as well as save millions of acres of old growth forest and reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere which contributes to global warming. Try some of the following ways to convert to using reusable items.

One of the best ways to begin your conversion is to switch to using cloth rags instead of paper towels. Most grocery stores sell packs of cleaning rags. You can find them at dollar stores as well. I bought a pack of twelve cotton cleaning cloths for only $3 at Wal-Mart. These have served me well for several years. You can also use old cloth diapers, wash cloths, dishrags, or make them from old towels and clothing.

Cloth cleaning rags can be used for dusters, windows, floors, dishes, and general cleaning. If you use the rags to clean up solids, rinse them in the sink first, otherwise, just toss them in with the rest of your laundry when they are dirty.

Use a high-quality drink container to carry drinks with you from home instead of buying sodas, bottled water, or coffee in disposable cups. Avoid plastic containers. I prefer metal thermoses and Sigg bottles.

Women can use a variety of reusable menstrual products. There are Mooncups or DivaCups which, unlike Instead cups, are easy and comfortable to use. Sea sponges marketed for menstrual use work like tampons. You can also find a variety of comfortable cloth menstrual pads online or quickly and easily make your own.

Almost everyone has heard of cloth shopping bags. You can now buy them almost anywhere for $1 each. These bags are made from recycled plastic, so they help the environment in more ways than one. Many are recyclable if they become damaged.

Cloth handkerchiefs and dinner napkins are once again becoming popular. I bought my handkerchiefs in packs of three from Wal-Mart for only $3. If you don't want to buy handkerchiefs or napkins, you can always make your own.

Rechargeable batteries are an excellent way to go green. Compare the price of rechargeable batteries with the price of one-time-use batteries. You can literally save hundreds of dollars a year by buying rechargeables. Always get the good quality batteries. They will work better and last longer. We have had very good results from our Rayovac Hybrid rechargeable batteries. The Energizer batteries we purchased did not last long.

Modern cloth diapers are as easy to use as disposables, cost many thousands of dollars less, are more reliable, are much cuter, and will prevent the destruction of old growth forests. They also prevent many tons of diapers, urine, and feces from going into landfills. Check out the awesome new styles available and read my article Are Disposable Diapers Really Better Than Cloth Diapers?

Almost anything disposable can be converted to reusable items. After all, it wasn't until the end of the last century that everything became disposable. Once upon a time, everything had to be reusable. There were no trash dumps to take your trash to. After converting from the worst trash producers, you can convert to other reusable items such as lunch bags, and sandwich bags. You will feel better about yourself and your children and future generations will thank you.