Eco Emma: Donate unused non-environmental products

As more and more people begin to make their lives more environmentally friendly, many find themselves with piles of objects that don’t match their new lifestyle. Plastic toothbrushes, bottled water and meat are all things that perhaps don’t match the lifestyle of the modern environmental thinker. One may be tempted to throw these things away and start fresh with a clean, Earth-friendly house, but this is far from the proper environmentalist mindset. 

Yes, these things aren’t environmentally friendly; plastic toothbrushes can’t be recycled and won’t decompose, single-use plastic bottles won’t decompose and take energy to recycle and meat products support the often cruel and wasteful livestock industry. However, throwing these things away without getting use out of them would be just as wasteful.  

If you’ve already opened that plastic toothbrush, use it for the recommended three months or until it frays too much to be useful. Then, you can break open that bamboo toothbrush and feel good knowing that when you’re through with it, it will biodegrade. Drink that bottled water, then keep the bottles and reuse them until you feel you’ve gotten enough use out of them before throwing them in the recycling. Finish eating that meat before you commit to cutting back. After all, you’ve already purchased these things; use them to their fullest.  

Now, if you’ve already opened and used these things, finish them off, but there are situations where you don’t need to. Every six months, I go to the dentist and they give me a plastic toothbrush in the original packaging. I have no use for these toothbrushes; I use bamboo ones. If you’re also in this situation, I recommend you donate these toothbrushes. This goes for anything you don’t need that’s still in its packaging. Got shampoo in bulk before you switched brands? Donate those unopened bottles. Have way more Chapstick than you’re ever going to use? Donate the unopened extras.  

This “donate the extras” mentality can work for just about anything, especially clothes. As you get new clothes, you should always give some away if you’re in a financial situation to do so. Not only is this a selfless, truly good act of charity, but it will also keep your wardrobe to a manageable size. Doing acts of good like this is especially beneficial for the community as the weather gets colder. Your extra sweaters could really help keep someone warm this winter. 

A lot of people are afraid of running out of things. “If I give away this extra pair of jeans, then what happens if I suddenly lose all of my other jeans?” Sometimes, these worries are justified and rooted in how one was raised. But, there are many people who don’t have extras, who barely have enough. They could use your extra clothes and hygiene products much more than you.