Frugal and eco-wise: single-use items present opportunities to become more

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Published Date 11/19/2019

Not so fast. That circular file you throw things into may not know it’s receiving things of value, and you might not realize it either. While we may live in a disposable society, the word “disposable” is open to interpretation.

Wisebread’s Paul Michael brings up a few of these in his article 21 Disposable Products You Can Reuse. Remember how our mothers or grandmothers held on to wads of rubber bands, reused aluminum foil and saved plastic bags? We may not be able to relate to that post-war generation’s thinking, but perhaps it’s time to try.

How often have you reused a “one-time-use” items, squeezing more life from it? Whether it’s boxes you saved to use at holiday time, contact lenses that were supposed only to last a day or bubble wrap that came stuffed in an Amazon box, it’s not unusual (and often times wise) to use things more than once. Michal lists a few ideas he was given when researching this topic.

The first (believe it or not) is a butter wrapper. Just because you place your butter in a covered tray designed for ease of use doesn’t mean that wrapper is not valuable. How about hanging on to those wrappers so that next time you need to grease a baking tray or dish, you’ve got something all ready to go?

We mentioned contact lenses. “There are lenses that can last months or just one da,” says Michael.” “But those one-day lenses have a lot of people thinking about extended use. Can you wear them again? Even just one more day would double their life span and halve your costs every year.” He goes on to say that the answer is yes, if you clean them correctly and store them well. “Use a bubbling hydrogen peroxide solution, which is designed to remove germs and bacterial matter, and you should be fine using one-day contacts for an additional day or two.” Michael quotes the fine print issued by the FDA printed on the box as well as their web site that specifies that the lenses may be disinfected using a chemical disinfection system.

More supposed one-time-use products are disposable digital cameras and camcorders. These companies make big money by charging you to download the photos and then reselling the cameras to someone else. “Well, you can get around that,” says Michael. “It’s not super easy, but if you have a soldering iron and some patience, you can make that disposable digital camera into a camera you can use again and again, downloading the pictures free at home whenever you want. Go to eHow for instructions.

Okay. You must have seen an older auntie tell guests not to throw away all the plastic knives, forks, and spoons and thought it was terribly tacky. But it’s possible to get a good week of use from one set of plastic cutlery before recycling it — and it’s also good for the environment. The limit is a week of use for their intended purpose, but you can also use them as handy markers for plants. “Just write whatever you planted in Sharpie on the handle and plunge it into the soil,“ says Michael.

Those dryer sheets have always been surrounded by a bit of controversy. Keep them for other purposes or just throw them away? According to Michael, dryer sheets should not go straight into the trash. They can be used inside shoes and clothes drawers to keep everything smelling fresh, they can be used to clean the bottom of a dirty iron and can also be used like Swiffer dusters.

Plastic containers and bags can always be washed and reused. As for bags, they can be used to cover a wet umbrella, protect the inside of a purse from leaked makeup or melted lipstick, and even cover your hand when picking up the leavings of man’s best friend.

Plastic or styrofoam take-out containers can be washed and used for a craft room or workshop to hold screws, nuts, bolts, and pencils. “Not only are they the perfect size and stackable, but you sometimes also get a whiff of delicious food just before you start your project,” says Michael.

Don’t throw corks away if you don’t have to. Wine corks can be chopped up and used in soil to retain moisture in mulch, to scrub high-carbon kitchen knives with them, or protect the blades and can be soaked in rubbing alcohol and made into cheap and effective firelighters.

For dozens of more items that have re-uses, refer to Michael’s article and perhaps you’ll think twice before opening that garbage bin and throwing something away.

Source: Wisebread, TBWS

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