Sydney’s Top 3 Sustainable Swaps

By Sydney S.

Let’s talk about sustainable swaps! The most realistic way to start your journey into sustainability is to start with 1 or 2 small changes. Here are a few simple swaps that, if realistic for your lifestyle and budget, we recommend trying out. These changes seem insignificant, but these in particular stoked my interest in sustainability because they helped me understand what I was previously reliant on.

Safety Razor

This is a very popular swap, but for good reason – in the 1990’s, the Environmental Protection Agency estimated 2 billion disposable razors are produced each year.¹ Considering the earth’s population was 5.28 billion people in 1990 and is now 7.8 billion, you can imagine how that number has risen. Switching to a safety razor was one of the first swaps that made me consider how much plastic I had consumed through simply purchasing disposable razors over the years. Plus the cost of switching to a safety razor can’t be beat. 

Blueland Soap

Purchasing Blueland soap was a convenient way to choose a more sustainable soap option AND find soap during the COVID-19 soap/toilet paper/hand sanitizer hoarding in early 2020. Rather than buying plastic soap bottles, of which the pumps can’t be recycled, Blueland soap offers glass soap bottles and tablets that turn into soap once placed in warm water. While the pumps are still plastic, they can be reused again and again, which means a one-time purchase still reduces the overall plastic going into the landfill. And the soap tablets are much lighter to ship and even come in compostable packaging. I recommend the lemon scent, which is light and refreshing!

Swedish Dishcloths

While tempted to list another bathroom item, I knew Swedish dishcloths had to make my list. I purchased my first Swedish dishcloth a few years ago and can’t imagine the amount of paper towels I’ve prevented from using and throwing away. Swedish dishcloths are usually made of cellulose. They start out dry, like a tough sponge, but expand and soften when absorbing moisture. After mopping up messes, I throw mine in the washing machine and lay them out to dry. Use them hundreds of times versus one-time paper towels, and save your money for better things. 

Sources:

1. The Environmental Consumer’s Handbook, October 1990