Rethinking Reusable

Trendy. Expensive. Inconvenient. 

These adjectives still come to mind when some people hear the words reusable and environmentally-friendly. While my family has a long way to go in our goal of eliminating the waste and cost that comes with disposable options, I’ve quickly learned that reusable doesn’t have to be any of these things. In fact, I think once most families try reusable options, they replace those adjectives with 

Creative. Cost Effective. Convenient.

I think there are some common questions, concerns, and misconceptions about reusable that get in the way of families ditching disposable options. Here are 5 common myths I often  hear:

Myth 1: Reusable Options are Extreme and Impractical

Do a quick Google search and you’ll be amazed by the ingenuity that goes into creating reusable alternatives. From trash bags, to diapers, to feminine hygiene products, to grocery bags, to lunch sacks, to swim bags, to unpaper towels; there’s a reusable solution to just about every disposable item. While a few might seem too extreme for some – reusable toilet paper, for example – many can easily be incorporated into your family’s routine and have multiple uses. 

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been grateful for reusable grocery bags stashed in the back of my car for unexpected trips to the library or doing a quick sweep of the car to bring in straggling items. While I never knew about wet bags before using cloth diapers, I now see that they are a versatile solution for traveling with a potty training toddler, storing wet swim suits, and sealing in the smell and wetness from soiled clothing and bibs on the road.

Myth 2: Reusable is a Fad

I think there’s an still old-school notion that environmentally-friendly choices are for extremists, Birkenstock-wearing Seattelites, and people who want to portray a certain image. You don’t have to declare yourself a environmentalist to see the benefits of reusable options. While many choose reusable options because they want to prevent damage to the environment, they also care about eliminating waste, saving money,and reducing the harmful impacts of manufacturing and transporting disposable products.

The reusable sandwich bag provides a great example of why reusable can be a practical choice for families of different socioeconomic backgrounds and environmental mindsets.

RecycleWorks.org estimates that an individual using a disposable lunch generates 4-8 ounces of garbage each day, which can add up to as much 100 pounds of trash per year. These bags cost money to manufacture, transport, use, and dispose of. Plus, they fill up landfills.

The Sierra Club estimates that families spend $85 on disposable plastic baggies and that eliminating disposable packing and single-serving items from lunches can save a family $250 a year.

Myth 3: Reusable is Expensive

Perhaps the biggest myth of reusable is that it costs too much. It can be true that the initial investment in reusable can feel overwhelming. If families set aside money each month from their budget and choose one reusable alternative at a time, however, the money savings over time can be significant. This can be amplified by making your own reusable products and using coupons or discounts to purchase supplies.

Cloth Diapers provide perhaps one of the best examples of cost savings over time. The Diaper Pin Savings Calculator helps demonstrate this in an excellent way, allowing individuals to estimate their costs savings, while including water usage and detergent costs, over time. If you try this calculator and then consider using those diapers with multiple children and/or reselling them for a partial return on your investment, reusable is a cost-effective, budget-friendly way to go. Use cloth diapers in place of disposable for 2 years and you won’t need to wait until tax time to make that purchase you’ve been planning.

Many people argue that time is money and reusable simply takes up too much of it. Planning ahead with reusable, washing it, remembering it, and dealing with the hassle has its own costs. While these are legitimate concerns, reusable has hidden savings in the cost of gas and time spent replacing disposable items. A few weeks ago, my family ran out of paper towels and I kept neglecting to replace them, annoyed by the cost and inconvenience of visiting a specialty store to get them in bulk. If I’d simply purchased (or made) and washed a reusable option, this wouldn’t have been an issue.

Myth 4: Reusable is Inconvenient

Since I’ve started trying to incorporate more reusable alternatives into my life, I find myself having to rethink convenient. My ideals are in one place, but my notions of convenient are in another. I’m pretty good about remembering to put reusable bags into my car when visiting Aldi because it’s a necessity there, but not so great about it at Hyvee. This is silly because it’s obviously not a big deal for me to grab the bags when they’re a must. Plus, I’m just trading off conveniences. With reusable, I have to remember to store them in my car and bring them back out for my next trip. With disposable, I have to find ways to store, reuse, and recycle them.
Reusable lunch bags and baggies are a great example of convenience. Many of us have already taken the step of sending our child to school with a reusable lunch bag. They’ve learned not to throw it in the trash and to bring it home in their school bag. Kids might be used to tossing disposable sandwich bags in the trash, but they can learn the habit of bringing home reusable baggies as well. In fact, bringing the bags home and rinsing out residue is a great way to learn responsibility for your things and the environment. It may be inconvenient to build reusable habits at first, but your family will soon enjoy the benefits of always having reusable options at their fingertips, less trips to the store for disposable options, and fewer times taking out a garbage overflowing with disposable containers.

Myth 5: Reusable is All or Nothing

Feeling overwhelmed by all of the alternatives to our society’s disposable addiction? Does it seem like you have to be all in to make any impact or to do reusable the “right way”? I’m not ashamed to admit that there are disposable options in my home. While we’ve cut back on our use of disposable products and made some real changes, we’re a far cry from disposable-free. I’m a big believer in the mantras of baby steps and habits take time.

You are not required to become a reusable devotee to make some small, significant changes in your home. Take on a reusable solution because you want to save money, care about the environment, want to support a  family business, support ideas you value, or try a new sewing project. Maybe your first step is purchasing reusable bags with your child’s school logo at a fundraiser. Perhaps its ordering the Diva Cup to see if it really works. Maybe it’s reusing a spray bottle to make your own cleaner out of vinegar and water. There’s no “right” motivation or one way to go about it. Tackle one habit at a time and you’ll find yourself rethinking reusable.

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