The reusable Stanley water bottle has taken the world by storm, and is just 1 example of previously disposable goods being taken over by their reusable counterparts. While in theory swapping out disposable goods for reusable ones is more eco-friendly, both have impacts on the environment. This article will be covering the impact of disposable goods compared to their reusable counterparts to empower people to make more sustainable choices.
What is a Disposable Good?
“Disposable” is an adjective that describes “things that are designed for or capable of being thrown away after being used or used up.” or “something disposable after single use such as a paper plate. (Dictionary.com)
These products are designed to be disposed of after use for sake of convenience, sanitation, affordability and other factors. Common examples in households include paper plates, paper towels/napkins, plastic water bottles, plastic cutlery, cotton swabs, coffee filters etc. The medical and food industries also use a wide variety of disposable products such as food packaging, plastic wrap, syringes, medical gloves, bandages and wraps. These are only a handful of examples. These products are designed only to be used very few times, often just once.
What is a Reusable Good?
“Reusable” is an adjective meaning “able to be used more than once” (Dictionary.com)
When thinking of reusable product examples, go beyond the scope of “sustainability” products. Reusable items are ANYTHING designed to be used more than once. While reusable shopping bags and glass straws do fit the definition, it also includes things like your silverware, rags, coffee mugs, furniture, jars, tupperware, backpacks and so much more. There can be some overlap here between reusable and disposable goods depending on the design. Think about take-out food containers. Their purpose is to be used once, however there are plenty varieties of plastic deli containers that can be taken home and used many times if taken care of properly.
Environmental Impacts of Disposable Products
“Disposable” is an umbrella term that encompasses specific materials such as single-use plastics which are what most people think of when it comes to disposable products. More specifically, these products are designed to be used 1 time and can include food packaging, plastic straws, and disposable coffee cups. These disposable plastics pose a large environmental threat as they impact many if not all, aspects of the environment.
Most of these plastics are not recycled properly and are not biodegradable. In 2016 it was estimated that 242 million tons of plastic waste was generated globally. Up to 13 million metric tons of plastic ends up in the oceans every year, and the toxins and microplastics work their way up the foot chain. In fact, over 260 marine species have been negatively impacted by ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic. The vast majority of plastics are also made from fossil fuels.
Waste production is one of the main concerns regarding disposable products. The United States alone produces more than 30% of the Globe’s total waste and on average, Americans throw out 7lbs of materials each everyday. In terms of quantity, approximately 530 billion disposable cups are used annually worldwide, and over 36 billion disposable utensils are used annually just in the U.S.
Environmental Impacts of Reusable Products
The general assumption regarding reusable products is that they are a more sustainable alternative and can reduce the amount of waste produced compared to their disposable counterparts. When it comes to the impact of reusable products, the amount of energy and resources it takes to produce them still needs to be considered. A study regarding kitchen utensils deemed this the environmental “payback period”, calculating how many uses it would take before its impact equal its disposable counterpart. This study found that a couple reusable products never broke even because it took more resources to make the product and wash it etc. than the disposable version. However, 9 out of the 12 products tested did reach reasonable payback periods and therefore proved to be the more sustainable option (Futurity). A separate analysis looking at the environmental impact of switching from single-use to reusable healthcare products evaluated a similar principle to the payback period, life cycle assessments, and found that the swap made positive impacts on all environmental impacts besides water use (National Library of Medicine).
Refillable water bottles are one of the more popular intentional reusable choices, and eliminates the use of 62 disposable plastic bottles on average annually for each person worldwide and can contribute to lessening plastic pollution and spread of synthetic chemicals. Similarly, reusable food containers can help eliminate the amount of disposable packaging that ends up in oceans and landfills, but they need to be reused a number of times before they break even on impact to the disposable version.
Benefits of Disposable Products
While seemingly wasteful, disposable products still have their benefits. It may be necessary to use disposable products within the health sector to reduce the possibility of infection and spread of disease/illness. Surgical gowns, bedding and drapes for example arrive to the facility clean and hygienically packed and can be disposed of after a visit or operation to maintain clean stations between patients. They also save time as these items do not have to be washed or bleached. Similarly, disposable packaging within the food sector can also aid in minimizing contaminations and spread of foodborne illness.
Convenience is a major benefit of disposable products, especially to the everyday consumer. Imagine never having to wash dishes again? Using paper plates for entertaining can be a real time and energy saver as opposed to washing all of those dishes by hand. The same could be said about grabbing a water bottle out of the case rather than washing and refilling a metal one. Human beings gravitate towards the path of least resistance, which makes disposable products so appealing.
Benefits of Reusable Products
While disposable products provide some benefits in terms of sanitation and convenience, reusable products can have environmental and lifestyle benefits. As discussed previously, some benefits of reusable items are calculated based on their off-set of the disposable version. Regardless, reusable products aid in the reduction of solid waste in our landfills. Reusable products can also contribute to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Reusable packaging for example, eliminates the need to recycle or remanufacture single use packaging which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% (Reusable Packaging). Lowering the demand for the production of and the recycling of disposable items can help to reduce emissions associated with those processes and offset the emissions cost of producing reusable items.
Reusable items offer consumers mediums through which to express their personal style and create a lifestyle filled with intentional pieces and habits. Reusing products (whether reusing disposable products or using intentionally produced reusable products) allows consumers to be more intentional about products they use and for what purpose, overtime creating a collection of pieces that are useful to them as opposed to pieces that just take up space. Some examples of reusable pieces being an expression of self and style are water bottles decorated with collected/meaningful stickers, or opting to wear your Aunt’s old jacket which is back in style now as opposed to a fast-fashion piece. Reusing things can offer a sense of fulfillment not provided by disposable pieces.
Conclusion
There has been a massive push for reusable products in the last few years, but not a lot of consideration on whether or not they are actually more sustainable. There is a lot of nuance in determining a product’s level of sustainability but a common method is to compare the production costs (environmental, not necessarily monetary) of the reusable product to that of the disposable product and calculate how many uses it takes for the product to outperform the disposable version...if it ever will. Some reusable products will never reach that “payback period” while others surpass it in just a few uses. It can be said that using a reusable product will result in less use and therefore less waste of the disposable version it is replacing. Regardless of the original use intent of the product; the more something is used, the more sustainable it becomes.
If youre interested in learning how to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle, check out some of our other posts like: Stop Buying Your Garbage! 3 Kitchen Basics to Stop Buying to Reduce Waste and Save Money https://www.imperfectlysustainable.org/post/stop-buying-your-garbage-3-kitchen-basics-to-stop-buying-to-reduce-waste-and-save-you-money
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