Tissues – argh! How I used to use one without thought! Whilst tissues made from recycled material are increasingly available, most other tissues are made of virgin fibers from trees like eucalyptus, spruce, fir, aspen and maple. These are designed to be used once, then thrown in the landfill bin. Not only are these tissues made from trees, but then there is also the cardboard box or plastic packet.
I found several online articles (e.g., Packaging Europe) claiming that Kleenex was planning to remove the plastic collar opening on their tissue boxes, which would see a reduction in plastic to the equivalent of 8 MILLION plastic bottles a YEAR. This is staggering. As far as I’ve seen, those plastic collars are still on the boxes in my local area.
I very rarely use tissues these days. I challenge you to think of any use for them you couldn’t substitute with a hankie, or other washable, reusable, up-cycled fabric (think: old cut up pillow cases, etc.). When I decided to switch from tissues to handkerchiefs, I was happy to realise I actually had quite a few hankies at home to get started. Luckily my husband was raised to always have a neat, ironed hankie in his pocket (they are far more crumpled these days!) and my boys were also accustomed to having one in their pocket. I started keeping a hankie in my bag every time I went out, including to work, and found I never needed tissues. Especially when I started taking a cloth napkin with me too.
These days paper tissues are reserved for when one of us has a cold (not very often) and occasionally the kids will grab one instead of a hankie, but I plan on cutting that out soon when I finally get around to making a big stack of hankies out of an old doona cover that was given to me. I had a failed attempt at the hem on my sewing machine last time (cue multiple burning smells and the thing sewing on its own!), so I will try an overlocked edge next!
Disposable paper napkins are also easily replaced with a reusable cloth napkin. It doesn’t take up much room in your bag or pocket when you’re out and about! And you get used to saying ‘no napkin, thanks!’. In the home, we have long preferred to use face washers at the dinner table to wipe our hands and faces. So much more effective than a throw-away paper napkin! We keep a stack of dark blue face washers in a kitchen drawer, rinse and hang on the back of a dining chair until they need a wash. Super easy! I was frustrated at buying a pack of disposable napkins when entertaining a couple of months ago. I simply didn’t have enough cloth napkins and face washers to offer. Time to get sewing and upcycle some more fabric!
Hopefully I’ve inspired you to ditch single-use tissues and napkins. I’ve certainly got myself motivated to take the last step and say goodbye to them for good!
I’d love to hear from you if you have any great tips on how to say goodbye to single-use tissues or napkins!
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I had never thought about the environmental impact of tissues before- but it makes so much sense! Need to find a nice soft hanky though- I am having flashbacks of crusty old dried hankies up the sleeve!
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My dad always used a hankie when we were little (still does). It’s the small things that can make a big difference
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