Cotton Swabs

Small. Innocent. Cute. Multi-use, though not multiple use. You wouldn't think cotton swabs could be a force for environmental disaster. However, they fall into the small, single-use, non-recyclable, problem-waste category. They are small enough to get missed and end up in natural habitats and spread plastic across the globe. No good!

Cotton swabs have made themselves so very useful throughout the house. Cleaning out one's ears, cleaning in small corners, applying topical medicines in hard to reach places, getting things out of hard to reach places, etc. Thus, though most of us don't think about cotton swabs very often, most of us have some hanging out around the house in case we need them. 

There are some companies which have tried to make more environmentally friendly cotton swabs. They have replaced the plastic bit with paper or corn based plastic which will dissolve. They have tried making the cotton part of the swabs with all natural organic cotton, despite the fact that cotton is not all that environmentally friendly to grow in mass quantities anyway. 

Setting aside the fact that doctors don't recommend sticking cotton swabs in ones ears anyway, how are we supposed to replace cotton swabs? I did find one company making reusable swabs out of recycled rubber and corn based plastic. This doesn't get rid of the need for these handy little swabs, but their claim that they last more than one thousand uses would drastically cut down on the number of cotton swabs used and thrown out each day. I bought one to try it out from Last Object, a Danish company, dedicated to finding ecological solutions to everyday plastic uses. They have two options for the swabs, both of which come in multiple colors. I have had mine a week and I have greatly enjoyed using it, cleaning it off, and reusing it!