WEBVTT - It's not as disposable as you think

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is that many single use items aren't nearly as

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<v Speaker 1>disposable as you think. By thinking about how you use things,

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<v Speaker 1>you might be able to extend the life of objects

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<v Speaker 1>that would otherwise quickly wind up in the trash. So

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<v Speaker 1>when I am out and about in the world, I

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<v Speaker 1>tend to take a disposable plastic water bottle with me. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps that seems wasteful, but here's the deal. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>really care at all about what kind of water is

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<v Speaker 1>in the bottle. I am one hundred percent okay with

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<v Speaker 1>tap water. So after I finish whatever water was a

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<v Speaker 1>richly in my plastic water bottle, I refill it with

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<v Speaker 1>tap water. I might do this a dozen times or more,

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<v Speaker 1>just making sure to rinse the bottle in between uses. Theoretically,

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<v Speaker 1>it might be more sustainable to use a refillable water bottle,

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<v Speaker 1>but I've noticed that lots of people seem to buy

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<v Speaker 1>whatever water bottle is hip in the moment. I am

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<v Speaker 1>pretty sure that a new Stanley every month does not

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<v Speaker 1>come out ahead of what I've been doing. It turns

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<v Speaker 1>out that plastic water bottles don't actually need to be

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<v Speaker 1>as disposable as you think. Same with many items. Perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>it is a cliche that someone is so cheap that

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<v Speaker 1>they reuse their aluminum foil, But if you only wrap

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<v Speaker 1>something dry and not all that messy, why not same

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<v Speaker 1>with ziplock bags. It's one thing if you put a

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<v Speaker 1>messy peanut butter sandwich in there, but if you had

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<v Speaker 1>pretzels at lunch today, you could use the same baggie

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<v Speaker 1>for your pretzels for lunch tomorrow and the next day too.

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<v Speaker 1>In our house, if we only use a corner of

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<v Speaker 1>a paper towel, we will rip off the rest and

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<v Speaker 1>leave it by the paper towel roll. If some one

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<v Speaker 1>only needs a small bit for the next job, they

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<v Speaker 1>can grab that. We wound up buying lots of canvas

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<v Speaker 1>grocery bags because our county has a law against free

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<v Speaker 1>plastic bags. But whether yours does or not, it turns

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<v Speaker 1>out that plastic grocery bags can be used a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of times too. If you happen to get some with

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<v Speaker 1>your next grocery order, just unload your groceries and stick

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<v Speaker 1>the plastic bags back in the trunk. You can use

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<v Speaker 1>them for your next visit. And if you print things, well,

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<v Speaker 1>I am guessing you sometimes need scratch paper for grocery

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<v Speaker 1>lists or on the fly to do lists or notes

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<v Speaker 1>to tape to your door for delivery. People keep a

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<v Speaker 1>pile of pages with print on one side and use

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<v Speaker 1>the other side for whatever you need. In any case,

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<v Speaker 1>if you're about to throw something out, or even just

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<v Speaker 1>chuck it in the recycling bin, you might pause and

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<v Speaker 1>think if it can get a second tour of duty.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes the answer is no. I have cleaned up some

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<v Speaker 1>fairly gross messes with paper towels, But if you have

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<v Speaker 1>just used a paper towel to cover something in the microwave,

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<v Speaker 1>it might not be all that dirty. It's perfectly fine

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<v Speaker 1>to use to mop up some spilled water on the counter,

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<v Speaker 1>and you will have been just a little bit less

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<v Speaker 1>wasteful in the process. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's making the most of our time.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,

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<v Speaker 1>or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura

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<v Speaker 1>vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia

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