How to Reduce the Amount of Waste Generated During the Coronavirus Outbreak
Since the coronavirus outbreak hit American shores, I have noticed that the amount of garbage I am generating has increased. Like many others, I bought these handy sanitizing wipes, but every time I use one and then throw it away, it looks wasteful. In addition, I used a lot more paper towels than usual, and my wastebasket is full of tiny bottles of hand sanitizer that I got for free during various political campaigns or conferences.
Of course, I want to do my best to help stop the spread of the new coronavirus, but many of the suggestions on how to do this are about disposable products. Surely there had to be a better way. To find out, Lifehacker spoke with several environmental experts. Here are some of their best tips:
Use reusable cups and utensils.
While it might be tempting to switch to disposable cups, silverware and cutlery – either for convenience reasons or because you think it will help stop the spread of the virus – it’s not a good idea. (We’re not talking about those who routinely use disposable kitchenware due to health concerns; remember the great plastic straw debate of 2018. ) According to Matthew S. Hollis, president of Elytus , a third-party administrator who helps the institution’s restaurants and retail optimize waste disposal and recycling operations – he found no scientific evidence that disposable cups and tableware make you safer from the virus while you are in your own home.
“Just make sure reusable items are thoroughly washed or disinfected between uses,” he tells Lifehacker. To make sure your dishes are truly sanitized, set the dishes to sterilize (if you’re lucky you have one). Otherwise, here’s how to sanitize dirty dishes when you wash them by hand.
While we are talking about washing dishes, it may seem like using the dishwasher requires more water than washing your hands, but it is not. “When everyone is in the house all the time, you can quickly run into an avalanche of dirty dishes and a constant need to clean,” Jarrid Lenz, owner of Lentz Wastewater Management , told Lifehacker. “Many people are surprised to learn that a dishwasher requires less water to operate than washing dishes by hand. This is important to think about if you are in a septic system and are already putting it under stress, because all family members are at home at the same time. “
Use the freezer
So you went out and panicked buying as much as your cart (including that little shelf under the cart) fits in. Mazel Tov is about grabbing the last packet of English muffins, but now what? Sure, stocking up on frozen food is a good idea in this time of uncertainty, but what about all the perishable food you’ve stuffed into your fridge right now? “Most food can be frozen, which is a great way to extend the life of the product and prevent it from being thrown away,” says Emily Woodger-Smith, who runs a site called Simply Sustainable after seven years in the recycling business. Here’s a handy guide that explains the dos and don’ts of freezing. In addition to being good for extending the life of your stored perishable food, the freezer is also good right now because you can cook larger portions of food than usual and freeze it so you have a finished meal. cooked food on the days when you just don’t know how to cook.
Reduce food waste
Now that many people have a fully stocked refrigerator, if you’ve bought a lot of perishable food and didn’t freeze it when needed, you may have to throw away a good chunk of that food if it goes bad before you can use it. As we just mentioned, the freezer is a great way to avoid this.
But wait, that’s not all. Sophie Egan, Editor and Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Culinary Institute of America and author of How to Be a Conscious Eater: Choosing Foods Good for You, Others, and the Planet, shares several other food waste reduction strategies with Lifehacker:
“Make sure you plan ahead for your meals and use your shopping list to make sure you are really using all the food you bring home. It’s more valuable than ever … Refrigerate foods like bread and other foods to last longer, rather than throwing them in the trash. You can also buy cool food storage bags that will extend the shelf life by slowing down the ripening process. “
Choose reusable rags instead of paper towels.
If your local grocery store is like mine, then all paper towels and sanitizing wipes are out of stock for about two weeks. Sure, these disposable cleaners are incredibly convenient, but I feel guilty about using one and wonder if I shouldn’t reuse rags or clothes instead. According to Laura Alexander Wittig, co-founder of Brightly , a new platform focused on conscious consumption, this is entirely possible.
“Use cleaning rags instead of paper towels. Bonus points if you can cut old T-shirts that were meant for Goodwill is a spoiler alert: they usually don’t go there anyway , ”she tells Lifehacker. “Keep an easy-to-clean airtight basket for storing rags after use. When washing, use hot water and a CDC approved disinfectant such as bleach to prevent cross-contamination. Many popular cleansers are not [CDC approved]. “
If you’re short on rags, Sophia Wilson, who runs the Daily Detox Hacks , recommends going online and looking for face and hand towels that hotels have rejected due to a defect such as a small hole or mark. “I use them to dry my hands and then put them in a large five gallon plastic bucket of powerful sanitizer after I use them,” she tells Lifehacker, then rinsing the rags in the bucket and repeating the process. She recently bought 200 of these rejected hotel items and towels for about $ 20 on ebay.
Use whatever green gadgets you already own
Money is one of the most serious non-health problems resulting from this outbreak. And, of course, many people are unable to invest in new technology right now. But if you have a Sodastream for Christmas a few years ago, but you never got to the point of setting it up, eating seltzer all the time like your life depended on it, now is the time to apply it.
Or, if you still have a bidet in your box, install this puppy already! With all the panic buying of toilet paper, the number of inquiries and sales of bidets is on the rise . In fact, sales of one removable bidet – TUSHY – are 10 times higher than before the current toilet paper shortage. Americans use about 36.5 billion toilet paper rolls every year , and some experts estimate that switching from toilet paper to a bidet in the bathroom could potentially save 15 million trees. We’re not saying you need to ditch toilet paper altogether, but if you want to cut down on waste and save money on the paper you wash off, this might be a good option.
Of course, keeping yourself, your family, and your community healthy should be your top priority right now, and some of these strategies do take longer. But if we can make one or two switches, it might add up.