If you told my younger self that I would be sitting here writing a blog post advocating for reusable tissues, I would have told you that you’d completely lost your mind.
Why? Because I am a recovering, hardcore germaphobe.
At one point, I am pretty sure I showered in antibacterial soap, used hand sanitizer a dozen times a day, and washed my hands after touching literally anything. You know that person who thoroughly wipes down the entire airplane row before sitting down? Yep, that was me. When the “elbow tap” became a socially acceptable greeting, I was secretly celebrating.
The irony of all this is that right out of college, my first job was as a ballroom dance instructor. If you can picture the intimacy of a ballroom dance frame, you know you are up close and personal. Even though you try to maintain your own space, I have absolutely had a student’s spit land on my face mid-sentence while waltzing. Somehow, I survived – but eww! It’s as gross as it sounds!
Eventually, I grew up and became a mom. Motherhood brought forward the realization that my philosophy is that dirt is good, chemicals are bad. Letting my daughter play in the mud became a regular occurrence, letting her use chemical hand sanitizers did not.
In fact, we leaned into a lifestyle of lowering our daughter’s exposure to any and all environmental toxins. She ate only organic, mostly homemade, and we were lucky that a lot of her toys, blankets and clothing were handmade by one of her grandmothers. We bought vintage furniture and rugs, drove used cars, and relied heavily on hand-me-down clothes – all things that had already done most of their “off-gassing.” (My formal apologies to the children who wore those clothes first, but hey, that decision was totally out of my hands!)
As the years passed, our family lifestyle became more and more sustainable. Today, our mission has expanded far beyond our own home. We are focused on improving the planet’s health so that the next generation inherits a world that resembles the one from my own childhood.
Our work evolved because sustainability isn’t just about what is off-gassing in our living rooms or what is sprayed onto our food. It’s about what we are emitting into the atmosphere that is causing our planet to heat up.
This journey led us to write books and travel to speak about household carbon footprints and individual action. In our work, we focus on four pillars:
- Getting food waste out of the trash.
- Eliminating single-use items.
- Eating a more plant-based diet.
- Shopping local in community-owned stores.
It’s that second pillar, eliminating single-use items, that brings me to today’s big question.
Where do we draw the line on single-use items?
Look, I know we can’t eliminate every single-use item. When I talk to middle schoolers, I always joke that their parents and I absolutely prefer that they continue using toilet paper. There are medical necessities too. I certainly want my doctor to put on a fresh, clean pair of single-use gloves before my exam.
But there is so much single-use waste we can eliminate. Everyone instantly thinks of plastic water bottles, straws, and shopping bags. Absolutely, swap those out! But it doesn’t stop there. Think about paper plates, plastic utensils, paper napkins, paper towels and of course the packaging that all our stuff comes in.
I’ve found sustainable solutions for all of those things and built them into my daily habits. But for a long time, there was one paper product mocking me from the trash can – tissues!
I have allergies, specifically to my dog, who insists on sleeping right on top of me. I love him to pieces, so I willingly endure the irony of him filling my heart with love every night and filling my nose with snot by morning (I know, yuck!).
Every single day, I wake up with a runny nose and watery eyes. As I’ve worked to minimize our household waste, watching that bedroom trash continuously fill up with crumpled tissues feels like a personal defeat.
I tossed around the idea of handkerchiefs, you know, the kind grandpas used to carry, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. That is, until yesterday. I was on my monthly refill trip to my zero-waste shop looking for bamboo tissues. The shop was completely out of stock, but the owner pointed me toward something called LastTissue.
It’s a compact silicone case that holds six reusable tissues – yep, you read right, “reusable tissues!” The case is latex-free, dishwasher-safe, and cleverly designed with two distinct sides. You pull a clean tissue from one side, use it, and then push it into the “used” section on the other side. Once you hit the last tissue, you toss them in the washing machine, wash, and repeat. The tissues themselves are made from 100% organic cotton.
The company behind it, LastObject, started with a simple question: “Why do we accept single-use disposable objects for things we use every single day?”
I felt seen! I’ve been asking myself that exact same question.
So, fellow planet-lovers… here I go. I am officially transitioning – okay, let’s be honest – trying out reusable, washable tissues.
The real question is: Who is brave enough to join me? And, oh yeah, can you help make this go viral? (Pun intended, lol!)
Looking for more practical, yet perhaps less disgusting, ideas for lowering your carbon footprint, poke around here for a bit or send this website to your sustainable curious friends – https://www.thecarbonemissionsproject.com/ and to find a zero-waste shop near you – https://asustainablevillagenyc.com/pages/our-corporate-refill-community
