Why does it cost almost as much to buy a refill sponge for a mop as to buy the entire mop and handle? This bothers me.
Today I bought a sponge mop (a major brand) and an extra sponge for when I need a refill. Why did I buy the refill today? Because I have found that in future when I need to buy the refill sponge it will no longer be available and none that will fit will be found. I like to be kind to the earth and to use resources wisely.
The sponge mop was a good deal, $9.99. But the refill sponge was $7.99. This doesn't make sense. Is the entire long handle and holder area for the sponge worth only two dollars?
The companies are pushing us to throw away the entire old sponge mop where it will rest for 100 years in the garbage dump. Sad. It might take hundreds of years to decompose, what a waste.
This is just one example of thousands of wasteful habits we are cajoled to engage in. Those nonrecyclable Keurig coffee maker K-cups are another. I know some K-cups are recyclable and bless the people who buy them. Apparently though even the "green" cups are not very recyclable, since the plastic part is made with type 7 plastic which most recyclers can not use, and the cups need to be taken apart by the coffee drinker if they want to recycle. 14 billion K-cups end up in garbage dumps every year. That would look like a Mount Everest of garbage.
There is an article in Atlantic Monthly on k-cups waste at A Brewing Problem
There is a twitter campaign #killthekcup I know lots of you dear readers love your Keurig coffee makers and I hope you don't get mad at me, I just hope Keurig changes over to all recyclable cups!
Does this waste bother you too?
Do you have any tips to share about reducing waste?
And thank you friends for your comments, I am learning some new things and tips when reading them. I suggest you all scroll through the comments to see other bloggers' clever ideas.
24 comments:
Waste is rampant in our nation and others around the world. We try not to waste and use as much that is recyclable as we can. Very sad.
Waste is just the same over here in the UK as is the stupid price of some things. There is no logic at all in the mop and replacement is there.
Yes, in fact I have a Keurig but I use my own coffee and a permanent K-cup that I clean out each day...that way I can compost the grounds! LOL! You hit the nail on the head as far as being a "disposable" society.
I have to say this too. All the decorating shows and remodeling shows that tell you to pull out anything and everything and buy new! Shame on them! They based a lot of it on energy efficiency but I'm not so sure. I bought new front loaders and the drier broke after 1 year and it will cost $400.00 to fix so there it sits! Yet, I have a refrigerator, stove nd oven that are over 50 years old and still work just fine! I hang outside and in my basement now but I'm getting older and it's dangerous to go down the stairs with a basket of wet clothes but I try to balance it on my hip and hang on to the railing with my other hand! LOL! I have faucets that are old but they work so why would I want to spend money to replace them? Because decorating shows and websites tell you you need to in order to sell your home. Good thing retro is coming back in vogue and I think it is all of us that grew up not wasting....now they call us "hoarders"...lol!
All the plastic is a terrible thing.
We recycle as much as we can here, glass, card, paper, garden waste, plastics etc and no food is wasted. I have any dinner leftovers for lunch the following day. As a nation we produce a shocking amount of waste though. The mop and sponge refill situation is ridiculous isn't it?
Thanks for visiting my page! I gave my daughter like a cup she can rewash that fits in her Keurig and she can add her own coffee. I think it was off amazon.
I wash the floor with a rag on my hands and knees.
I have a Keurig that we never use. My kids talked my husband into getting it. The only thing that if makes is dust. We are slowly becoming a paperless society; I wish we could become a plasticless one also. It does not seem like the government nor the manufacturers are interested in that despite all the evidence of of what plastic is doing to this world of ours.
I agree! You're right that they don't make it easy, they actually push throwin gmore away.
That mop/sponge things makes me bats, too. I use a Keurig at school, but I have a mini-filter to pack with grounds.
I've cut back on a lot of other waste, my family of 5 only takes out a kitchen bin's worth of trash each week. We buy very few single-serve packets of food, compost our food & yard waste, recycle what packaging we can. We don't use any paper towels and recycle plastic bags (which seem to show up at an amazing rate when I consider how I only use canvas shopping bags--but bags from bread, cereal, etc. really add up!). We buy no bottled water, use only tap (to be fair our water is good, though). It's weird how we push our bin to the curb once a month while our neighbors (a retired couple) push their same-size bin to the curb every week. I have no idea what the difference could be.
Sam I Am, how great that you have a permanent K cup that you use and clean and you use your own coffee. I didn't know that permanent K cups exist. Thanks for telling me. I also use our coffee grounds and put our coffee grounds at the base of our hydrangea, blueberries and camellia.
I don't drink coffee but my dear husband does. We do have a keurig, but have the same type of permanent cup that Sam I Am has. Hubby puts his own grounds in and then it gets washed out. I use the keurig to make the hot water for my tea and hot chocolate. It is more convenient than heating up a pot of water on the stove. I agree about the decorating shows. Hubby and I both comment every time we see them ripping out perfectly good cabinets that if they HAVE to replace them, they could be more careful removing them and then donate them to Habitat for Humanity or some organization like that. We have become a disposable society in too many ways.
Blessings,
Betsy
It's all about consuming ! It's cheaper to buy new shoes or a dishwasher then to get repaired the old once !
HI Terra! Oh, yes, I've been right there about the mop! I agree, it just doesn't make sense why the refill costs almost as much as the mop. I just broke down and bought an old string mop and just wash it really good after using it! It seems to last longer for me.
Thanks for popping in to see me.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
I love my Keurig coffee maker. I use a plastic cup with little ready made filters and regular coffee in mine. You save the environment and the coffee tastes excellent and isn't as strong as the k cups. Also I bought a Bessel lightweight steamer for my lino floors and I love it. I wouldn't want to eat off my floors but they look so darn clean it makes me think I could, lol... Hugs, LJ
No Keurig in our household. And I share your "beef" about the scrub mops and waste in general.
I have an old fashioned coffee pot, and disposable filters. I think I'm the only one in my group of friends that doesn't have the Keurig.
I'm slow anyway about change and new things. Heat water in my tea kettle on the stove and use a teabag.
Yes the waste bothers me terribly besides the waste of money for those Keurig cups! I don't drink coffee but my husband does. We don't go through many because he only has some on the weekend but I am huge on recycling and it is a waste of our land. That is very sad about the mop too. I am visiting my dad in Florida right now and his town doesn't even recycle at all!!!
Terra, Yes, I do whatever I can to avoid waste too. We've avoided the Keurig, and we've had the same Swiffer for a number of years, although we do have to buy a refill bottle every 3 months or so.
I'm also avid about avoiding plastic bags. I'll carry something out of the store by hand rather than take a plastic bag, but I mostly take my own bags.
Thanks for visiting my blog today.
Yes, indeed, it does bother my hubs and I....all the plastic water bottles thrown away every minute of every day....I am just mortified...and the solo cups...the paper plates are good but the styrofoam cups and plates are there for a long long time...
I am a big coffee drinker but I love my regular coffee pot..I have a nice Keurig that I use when I have lots of people over...I actually don't much like the coffee they make...
I never thought of those things ending up in the trash. I'm sticking with my regular old coffee maker. Someone was singing the praises of a Keurig, saying you don't waste coffee. I wish I had thought to ask what happens to the little plastic containers. I rather waste a little coffe than adding to the more serious waste problems of this earth.
For about 20 years I have been brewing my morning coffee using a Bodum French Press cafetiere that requires no extra accessories. The coffee is good!
I do admit to being lazy enough to usually make tea with teabags, even though I really prefer the fullness provided by loose tea.
Thank you again for visiting over at my place.
Yes, it does bother me that the mop wipes refills are so expensive. Have you ever tried the coffee strainer and filters for the single cup of coffee? It makes the best coffee, and that's what I've been using. :)
~Sheri
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