I wasn’t always the kind of person who reused Ziploc bags. I started somewhat by accident, after I spent all my money on a nine-month trip around the world and was trying to stretch the paper products I had until I got a paycheck.
What I discovered is that most plastic bags really aren’t dirty after one use. Nor is foil. Nor, I have discovered, are most paper towels. A slightly used one is quite useful if you own cats.
We’ve all become more conscious of the environmental value of reuse. It happens to save money, too. Here are a few ways to help Mother Earth and your pocketbook:
• Use cloth rather than paper napkins. If you have more than one person in your household, buy different colored napkins (at thrift and discount stores) to make it easier for each person to use the same one for several days.
• Don’t use a plastic bag when a reusable container will do. Take your sandwich to work in a plastic container you can bring home, wash and use again.
• Use a rag rather then a Swiffer-style sheet to mop the floor. I can’t quite master the rag-on-a-stick technique I’ve seen Latin cleaning women use so adeptly, but I have discovered that a piece of old towel over a sponge mop cleans better than the sponge mop alone — and much better than those paper sheets.
• Clean up spills with washable rags rather than paper towels. For really icky spills, save those paper towels that aren’t really dirty.
Every time you start to use a paper product, think: Would something reusable work? And when you start to throw one away, re-evaluate: Can I use this again?
The less you use, the better for the environment — and the closer you get to affording your trip around the world. Or your mortgage payment.
