Cotton buds: make it your eco buddies.
People tend to look for big plastic items when it comes to reducing their plastic waste and missing out a simple rule. A small issue can contribute to the enormous problem of plastic waste around the world, and that is the case of plastic cotton buds. These little items have their sticks made from plastic and not to mention, their container then comes in also made from plastic, meaning that extra waste for the environment. Some facts about this tiny but mighty troublemaker might blow your mind.
1.5 billion single-use plastic cotton buds are produced each day.
Approximately 10% of cotton buds are flushed down toilets and can end up in waterways and oceans. Since cotton buds are quite tiny in size, it is so likely that marine animals would accidentally swallow them or get it stuck in their body. I remembered watching a clip that a plastic cotton bud was taken out of a poor sea turtle.
After breakdowns into smaller plastic particles, these cotton buds are still able to cause digestive issues and make marine animals lose the urges to eat. These animals end up starving themselves to death.
Interestingly, cotton buds are the only item that is designed to be single-use, and even its alternatives are still made to be single-use. Those they rarely can be reusable, either by choice or by design, and an eco-friendly approach can still be attempted.
If you want to get rid of cotton buds out of your life completely, you are more than welcome to as there are several ear washes available. If you still feel like you need these small buddies in your life, go ahead and use them with an eco-conscious mind.
Swapping to a paper or wooden stick cotton buds would be a perfect solution to diminish its negative impact on the environment dramatically as they are far more eco – friendly and biodegradable. After all, cotton buds are not bad, it is just the material that manufacturing businesses use, plastic, to offer the lowest price to consumers. The best solution I can suggest is to change your consuming habit to be eco-friendlier. The eco-friendlier products are bought and used, the more encouraging it is for businesses to swap for a more environmentally sustainable product.
Store Eco Friendly offers zero-waste cotton buds where the packaging is made from recycled cardboard along with the bamboo sticks. It is to make sure no more extra waste is added to the environment, endangering our sea world. Instead of adding 100 plastic sticks and one plastic container to the situation after each purchase, you have left nothing behind. Eco mind, eco life. Together, let’s turn every month to be plastic-free.