RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Reduce, reuse, then recycle. Unfortunately, it's all too easy to skip the first two and go straight for the recycling bins. As a result, tons of perfectly good packaging containers get sent to recyclers or landfills, while a bit of cleaning could keep them in use, saving the energy it takes to melt them down and turn them into new containers. Industry is starting to get the hint: The Reusable Packaging Association announced this week that three multinational companies joined its ranks and will start using reusable shipping materials, rather than disposable wooden or plastic pallets. Like them, you’ll usually save money when you choose reusable packaging, either through a lower purchase price or refund, or buy using the package in place of something else that you’d have to buy.
Here are five products to look for that come in reusable containers that don't need to be recycled or landfilled…ever:
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#1: Milk. Milk in glass bottles may seem anachronistic, since most dairies switched to paper cartons in the mid-1950s (and plastic jugs after that), and never looked back. But returnable glass milk bottles are the least energy-intensive packages for milk, according to a life-cycle analysis sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Find a dairy near you that uses refillable bottles at www.localharvest.org. Can’t find one? Go for plastic jugs. They use the second least amount of energy and are easier to recycle than paper cartons, the worst energy users of the three alternatives. Just make sure to recycle the jugs.
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#2: Cleaning products. Cleaning company Restore the Earth has built its brand on refill stations that will replenish your supply of laundry detergent, all-purpose cleaner, dish soap, or any other Restore cleaning products at the press of a button. The Minnesota-based brand has stations at natural-food stores and co-ops across the Midwest, but if you live closer to the coasts, look for natural-food stores that refill bottles of Dr. Bronner’s castile (vegetable-based) liquid soaps, which you can use to clean everything from your hair to your hardwood floors.
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#3: Beer. The sturdy stainless steel used in beer kegs makes them easy to sanitize and durable enough to reuse time and again. Although you might not go through enough beer to keep a full-size keg in your basement, you can get smaller reusable kegs that can keep nearly eight gallons of beer fresh for up to six months. Studies have found that beer has just as many health benefits as wine, but averaging more than one drink per day counteracts all its positive side effects.
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#4: Yogurt. Yogurt containers aren’t returnable, and in many places, they aren’t recyclable either. But they are reusable if you make them so. You shouldn’t reuse single-use plastic containers for storing anything hot (they aren’t designed to withstand heat and may melt, exposing your food to unwanted chemicals), but it is OK to fill them up with sliced fruit, berries, or anything cold. Single-serving yogurt cups are also good for starting seeds, mixing finger paints, and organizing all the tiny odds and ends that wind up in your junk drawer.
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5. Coffee. Those foil bags may be great for keeping coffee fresh, but they’re not recyclable and will last forever in a landfill. Toronto’s Balluchon Café decided to get rid of that problem by selling its Fair Trade Certified and organic coffee beans in mason jars, and they give customers a $2 discount whenever they bring the jars back to get refilled. Not a Canadian? Take your own paper bag (or Mason jar) to a coffee purveyor that sells beans by the pound and ask them to refill it for you. Chances are, they won’t mind. You may not get a discount in that case, but do it enough times and they may be appreciative enough to give you a little extra.
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