Atop my product peeve list are those new pod coffee makers that brew an instant cup of espresso using (non-recyclable) cartridges. It seems they are the new trend in instant coffee, I was told that the instant coffee tastes better than regular coffee maker coffee, but there are less wasteful options to a great cup of coffee.
A more environmentally friendly alternative to deliciously instant coffee is the Moka Pot, a stovetop espresso maker. Made of stainless steel, with a rubber or plastic handle, it is very durable and I would be surprise dot ever see one hit a landfill, but if ever it did, it would be in the scrap metal pile. These coffee makers are sold at Fratelli Foods downtown, and proably the big department stores like London Drugs, The Bay and Sears.
Next up are disposable diapers. As a new parent myself not that long ago, I have seen first hand how much waste a little baby can produce by using disposable diapers. When Eli was first born we used disposable diapers exclusively, as the cloth ones we bought were too big and would rub against her umbilical cord. I can remember filling up a grocery bag of diapers about every two days, and couldn't wait until the cord healed so that we could put her into the cloth diapers. By 18 months Eli was potty trained (with the occasional accident) and I think that the early potty training was a result of using cloth diapers.
I will be the first to admit that cloth diapers require much more effort on the part of the parent (rinse, wash, dry, fold). I recently found out about Snug Glee Bumz Diaper Service. It is a little pricier than using disposable diapers but they will come and pick up your dirty diapers once a week and drop off a whole new freshly cleaned set. You get the benefit of using cloth diapers without the hassle.
Another one of my major peeves are paper napkins and paper towels. They are everywhere you go - public washrooms, restaurants, coffee shops, kitchen counters, kitchen cupboards, kitchen tables - and almost impossible to avoid. I have brought several home myself in the past five months. I rip the paper into pieces and put in my backyard compost. It wouldn't be as bad if everyone composted tissues and napkins. But not even the greenest people I know compost non-recyclable paper. And so what began as a tree in the rainforest of the Amazon will reach the end of its life in a landfill 10 kilometres from home.
No, this is just not sustainable, can't you see? First of all, why do we need to use so much tissue anyways. The other day I ordered a wrap and asked the lady not to wrap it in paper, to just hand me the wrap naked. No problem, she handed me the wrap without the packaging but proceeded to give me four napkins. I just sighed and left the napkins on the table, hoping that they would get reused.
Cloth beats paper hands down in any test for quality. And over the long run reusable products like cloth napkins, dish cloths, tea towels, rags (old cotton t-shirts are perfect) are cheaper. I am partial to cloth made from bamboo fibre as it has excellent properties (very absorbent, natural anti-bacterial elements, sustainable, and has a silky smooth touch).
Cloth napkins don't require much effort at all. Unless you have company, you can reuse the same napkin several times before washing. My mother has napkin holders shaped like different animals; when we have family gatherings for extended periods, each person will get their own napkin to reuse for their stay.
I could go on as there seems to be a disposable version of every product on the market. The point is that using reusable products (and packaging) just makes more sense. Don't be fooled by those clever marketers telling you that your life will be easier when you buy their disposable product - you are locking yourself into a cycle of having to keep buying more and more of their product to replace the stuff you keep throwing away.
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