Waste reduction and the "zero waste" trend are on everyone's lips when we talk about ecology. But we more often think of household trash from our food than other common waste that is easy to reduce... or even eliminate! Let's dive into the heart of 5 wastes to eradicate.
1- Single-use covid masks
The directives for the mandatory wearing of masks have caused a surge in the production, use and then waste of these surgical masks usually reserved for health professionals. These masks are made of synthetic fibers : polypropylene, in short, plastic. And if we add surgical gloves, the pandemic and its corollary of disposable protections, these have greatly aggravated plastic pollution in the sea . Today we are starting to look into setting up their recycling, this comes up against the difficulty of collecting them on the one hand but also the need to separate the metal wires from the mask itself. It is also possible to crush everything but this requires heavy industrial processes for small volumes. Everything remains to be done!
Solution : washable fabric masks, of course! The French Association for Standardization (Afnor) indicates that category 1 fabric masks filter the incriminated particles well, just like surgical masks. No more hesitation: choose reusable.
2- Hygienic protections
"Sanitary textiles" such as sanitary protection, wipes and diapers, represent 13% of residual household waste. Unfortunately, towels and panty liners as well as tampons are not biodegradable. However, they represent a terrifying volume of waste that will be buried or incinerated, generating soil and air pollution, in addition to the environmental impacts due to their manufacture. Not to mention their individual packaging and other applicators... The production of disposable sanitary protection mainly composed of cotton and plastic, also requires a lot of resources, and many chemicals (chlorine, mainly) which are involved in their composition: in addition to being harmful to the planet , they are also harmful to the body.
Solution : there are many sustainable and zero waste alternatives: the menstrual cup, washable fabric protection and period panties which have the dual advantage of being very practical and ecological.
3- Garbage bags
These bags partly made of plastic are additional waste that is added to our waste! Indeed, after the garbage truck, household waste is directed to centers and then incinerated or buried, bags included. We can choose garbage bags made of recycled plastic but that does not solve the problem of their disappearance. Otherwise, so-called biodegradable and/or compostable garbage bags are all the rage. Problem: if the composting conditions are not met, plant-based plastic will not degrade. Most of these garbage bags are made of polyethylene (plastic) as well as corn starch or potato starch so that they can "disintegrate" by breaking up. If the plant-based part is biodegradable, there are still pieces of plastic. When we think of its purpose, in the soil, or the toxic fumes when it is burned, the garbage bag becomes absurd.
Solution : Why not simply ditch the classic trash bag in favor of a cardboard bag? As we sort our waste and reduce it, the kitchen trash can can easily be contained in a kraft paper bag. Simply line the bottom with a paper bag like those from the greengrocers, and take out your trash a little more often.
4- Cosmetics
While in the kitchen, food packaging is often recycled using different sorting bins, in the bathroom, this is rarely the case. Indeed, in the bathroom bin, empty plastic shampoo bottles sit alongside toothpaste tubes and dirty cotton pads that are rarely separated. However, some containers are perfectly recyclable, such as glass bottles and jars for facial care products, their plastic lids or cardboard boxes. Then there are cream tubes, lipsticks and makeup in general, nail polishes or stick deodorants as well as body care pump systems, for example, that must be separated. Terracycle and Citéo, specialists in special recycling programs, offer collection solutions in partnership with brands, which for their part also make a lot of efforts so that consumers can return the containers. All of this still needs to be generalized, as does the upstream commitment to designing easily recyclable packaging, using recycled materials, and indicating sorting instructions on products.
Solution : Favor eco-designed cosmetics and plastic-free packaging . Also think about solid formats : prefer soaps to shower gels, solid shampoo, solid toothpaste, refillable makeup and washable wipes. There are even solidified makeup remover oil pallets, solid deodorants and body butters in the form of bars that are melted on the skin. With all this and reusable cotton buds, no more need for a trash can in the bathroom.
5- Sponges
They are the forgotten ones in household waste! We give them little importance and yet, sponges are an ecological disaster, from their production, to their death and during their use. In general, the sponge is disposable, synthetic, made of resin foam, chemically treated and coated with polyurethane, a strong glue, to fix the scratchy side composed of nylon and polyester, also plastic fibers from petrochemicals . Not to mention the chemical dyes of the blue and pink versions. During its use, thousands of microplastics soaked in these toxic substances that the sponge loses in the dishwater and which end up in wastewater and ultimately, in the soil. Finally, when it ends up in the trash, the sponge is impossible to recycle. Vegetable sponges, very widespread because they are supposed to be more ecological, are an interesting solution but they contain the same glue for the abrasive side and often just as many - or even more - chemicals to make them more resistant. Finally, natural sponges are biodegradable but of animal origin: they are in fact the "skeleton" of a marine organism which is harvested at sea.
Solution : you can start by equipping yourself with more sustainable cleaning tools such as dish brushes with wooden handles, coconut brushes. We talk a lot about tawashi, these Japanese sponges to make yourself by braiding cotton strips from an old t-shirt for example. Perfect for cleaning windows, they sometimes do not scrape enough for dishes. We can then turn to washable sponges, made of jute for example, which you just have to put in the machine to get rid of bacteria and reuse them.
The fight against waste is won with changes in habits that lead to changes at the industrial level when brands follow demand. It's up to you to make these choices to act, at your level, on reducing waste , or at least on recycling it. Consume wisely in order to choose the most sustainable and biodegradable products possible!
