These 15 Everyday Items Are Just Not Worth Buying Anymore

Energy Consumption
Image by Daniele Mezzadri from Shutterstock

Incandescent light bulbs

Incandescent light bulbs have been replaced by LED bulbs due to their energy-saving properties. Incandescent light bulbs require more attention, as they have to be replaced more often than LED bulbs, making them quite unpractical and uneconomic. Besides, they create more heat, which means they involve higher cooling costs. Burns are also an issue with such bulbs if you happen to touch them by accident, which is not the case with LED bulbs.

Disposable diapers

Anyone with a baby can tell you for a fact that diapers can be quite expensive. In addition to being on the expensive side, disposable diapers are also major contributors to landfill accumulation and their production requires extreme quantities of water.

The alternative, meaning cloth diapers, might not be the most practical out there, but it is far more convenient and money-efficient. If cloth diapers do not sound ok with you, at least opt for diapers that do not contain plastic and are eco-friendly.

Plastic cutlery

Plastic cutlery seems way more convenient than washing dishes every night, but in the long run, it will do more harm than good. To the environment and your health as well. That’s because these items are not recyclable after being contaminated with food.

A far better alternative is using metal or bamboo cutlery, which is more durable and economical. Yes, you will have to wash them, but if this means helping the environment, then it’s probably worth it, isn’t it?

Check this out:Here’s How You’ve Been Tricked Into Spending More at the Restaurant

Conventional cleaning products

Fortunately, we have become more and more aware of the damage that chemicals can have on our health. People have been trying to find safer and healthier alternatives such as plant-based products, to conventional cleaning products which are full of harmful and toxic substances.

< 1 ... 34 5 6>

27 Responses

  1. There’s only one snag to recycling. By the time you’ve sorted everything and taken it to the appropriate disposal points (assuming there are any), there’s no time left to do anything else.

    1. We have single stream recycling in Baltimore County. Once a week, we set out any combination of carboard, papers, tin cans, bottles (plastic or glass) and wood products (broken down) and the conveyors and machines at the county’s processing plants sort everything. The days of having to tie together papers and cardboard have long since past by decades in my area.

    2. If you’ve EVER gardened, you know paper anything is recyclable! Wood pulp! Cotton! And paper towels deteriorate pretty quickly! As does kleenex, although the fragrances and lotions are not good. Anyone with Septic or an RV knows about TP. And if you’re lucky (like some in Placer County) you live in a place where you don’t have to separate garbage from recyclables. They have a conveyor system that separates garbage and recycles easily and automatically. That’s what we need to push for, is more of these types of systems. But even in my area, I can put ALL recyclables (except batteries and other toxic items) in my recyle bin, and the waste company comes by every week with it’s robotic arms and dumps my recyle and my trash bin. They make it easier all the time, and people who don’t at least attempt to recycle are irresponsible. And before you go ballistic, that includes me, as I do what I can, but there’s ALWAYS more you can do with very little effort. I don’t want those who come after me, to blame me for problems that could and should have been prevented!

  2. There are only a couple items that I still buy – like paper towels.
    Some alternatives I did not know about – like bamboo products. I do have a bamboo filled pillow.

  3. This has been very helpful. While I’m well-aware of so
    Many
    Of these no-no’s, I was spirited by some products I had no
    clue of. Please keep us updated and info as to alternatives.
    We need to save our planet!

  4. I buy all of these things except the diapers. I refuse to be inconvenience just to save some trees or some such.

    1. I had 6 babies and could not afford to pay for disposable diapers. Rincing them out and wasing them was not an inconvenience, but rather a responsibility and gift of love for my babies.

  5. I stopped buying laundry detergent and shampoo over3 years ago. I buy baking soda in bulk. So I’m Clean, shiny and ‘Poo less’

    1. Yes. I make earth friendly dishwasher pods, laundry detergent, cleaning products and skin products. Very cost effective and they work well. I have pets so I boil water and use a few drops of essential oils or cinnamon for room freshener after cooking fish or strong vegetables with an odor.

  6. Wow those where a lot of things I use everyday. I will have to start practicing what it recommends like bringing my own bags when I go shopping. I learned from this and I hope others will too!

  7. I am 73 and must wear like an adult diaper because my bladder leaks. Is there another way I can exist without using them? Please suggest something.

    1. Leaks are awkward, but rarely much liquid. Think of panty liners for absorption, but make them of real fabric. And they do make waterproof panty’s, which save clothing. Add cloth liners to these and you’ll have waterproof AND absorbent. And while the panty’s probably have some sort of plastics in them, they are at least washable and reusable.

  8. This is ridiculous ! Stopping the use of plastic anything is stupid. What happened to recycling everything aluminum, plastic and paper! If humans are so smart than figure out the solution. What is next a ban on plastic diapers ! Choose your poison wisely !

  9. I use paper towels because cloth rags and sponges are germ carriers and germ spreaders if not properly sanitized and changed out often. I use paper towels up to three times, such as wiping my hands, then using them to wipe spills on the counter and then finally, spills on the floor or pet messes. Then I throw them away. I also rip them up into smaller pieces since not every spill needs a full sized towel. I am trying to cut down on the waste, but I don’t think sponges or rags are really safe.

  10. We are not going back said new moms about one month after using washable diapers for a short while. Just no.

  11. Very very naughty list…?? Are you people nuts? Use the plastics in roads and sidewalks and stop banning everything! Use your brain to start stabilizing the waste so it doesn’t harm the environment!

  12. Lots of environmental propaganda in here. The false statements are consistently mixed in with true ones. Too much hog wash to parse through.

  13. These are not items that people are not buying anymore. These are items the author wants people to stop buying because the author is an environmental wacko. The proof is in the writing of each item. Each item is described as how bad it is for the environment and then an alternative is offered. Doesn’t say that people are now buying the alternative except for incandescent light bulbs. LED’s have replaced incandescent bulbs because of technology. I actually wanted an incandescent bulb for its heat to keep a water line from freezing. Could not find one anywhere. Had to buy a small space heater. Way more expensive and way more heat than I needed. I’m all for taking care of the environment, but not by the extreme measures of wacko environmentalists.

  14. I can see the validity in several of these; coffee cups, and polystyrene are definitely on the list of NO.
    However, diapers; cloth diapers are horrible when you have to be out in the public and need to change your baby. If there’s no place to dump the contents they stink. And the bleach isn’t great either. Everyone seems to be making stuff from bamboo; has anyone thrown of a disposable diaper from bamboo?
    And I will keep my electric toothbrush. Make an ecological one but I’m not getting rid of it.

  15. Yes. I make earth friendly dishwasher pods, laundry detergent, cleaning products and skin products. Very cost effective and they work well. I have pets so I boil water and use a few drops of essential oils or cinnamon for room freshener after cooking fish or strong vegetables with an odor.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE!