Sustainable Swaps: ditch disposable cotton pads

I'm pretty sure that most people have used a cotton pad in their lifetime and many people worldwide still use disposable cotton pads. These have such a negative affect on the environment and animals. Shockingly, it can take a massive 20,000 litres of water to produce 1kg of cotton and many harmful pesticides and chemicals are used. Here I will outline the problems and suggest ways that you can make a change. I hope you enjoy.

The problem of water usage

Although cotton is a renewable resource, unlike oil or plastic, it is incredibly unsustainable. Did you know that it can take up to 20,000 litres of water to make 1kg of water? To put this into context that is around the amount needed to make 1 T-shirt or 15-20 packs of cotton buds. This means that for every pack of cotton you buy 1000 litres of water has been used to make them. The average woman uses 3 cotton pads a day (generally to remove makeup) which amounts to a whopping 1095 cotton pads used, and ending up in landfill every single year! With an average of 100 cotton pads in a pack that means women are buying almost 11 packs of cotton pads every year, and therefore 11000 litres of water is used to supply one person with cotton pads every single year! To me this is truly shocking especially when we see people suffering from lack of clean water in countries which are less developed. 765 million people don't have access to clean water globally and between 34 and 76 million people die from drinking dirty water every year. The average person uses 409 litres of water a day, whether this is for drinking, washing or cooking. If the water used to make cotton pads for one person's annual use was instead given to someone without access to clean water then they could have 27 days with their water needs met, this doesn't sound like very many but if you remember that this is from one person suddenly it becomes a lot more impressive. Also, if you only look t someone's drinking needs, which is 2 litres a day, then the water needed for one person's cotton pad use could provide someone with clean drinking water for 5500 days or 15 years. There is enough water in the world for everyone, the problem is the way that we are using the water we have. On an environmental level, this water has to come from somewhere and, sadly, it is often extracted from nearby rivers and lakes, sucking the ground dry, This can cause habitat loss for plants, birds, animals and fish in surrounding areas.

Unsustainable chemicals are used

Another problem with disposable cotton pads is that unenvironmentally friendly chemicals and dies are used in the manufacturing process. In fact cotton is the most pesticide-doused crop on the planet. The pesticides used on cotton are toxic and long lasting, meaning that the negative effects will continue long into the future. Pesticides can contaminate soil, water and vegetation, this in turn can kill fish, birds, insects and plants. Therefore, leading to a decrease in biodiversity- which is essential for functioning ecosystems. Shockingly, these toxic chemicals can also have damaging effects on humans. A study stated that it's likely that cheap cotton balls, rounds and pads have harmful pesticide residue in them, and these are the kind of toxins that can get into your body through your skin. As we know, toxins are really damaging to our skin and most people use cotton pads to remove makeup and dirt, but are (unknowingly) adding something more harmful to their faces. No longer using cotton pads is so much better for the planet but also your skin. The harmful chemicals, such as bleach, that are used in the cleaning and mixing processes used to create cotton pads means that they don't biodegrade as regular cotton naturally does. As they are so overly processed they don't rot away, therefore, clogging up our oceans and stacking up in landfill.

The alternatives

Luckily, there are some great alternatives to the disposable cotton pads that fill our supermarkets, bathroom and landfill sites. Like most products you can now by sustainable cotton pads that you don't need to dispose off and if you use the one's which I recommend are totally toxin free! Reusable cotton pads are also better for your budget as they last for a long time and all you have to do is stick them in your washing machine, this means that you won't have to restock on cotton pads. One of the brands that I have cotton pads is Bambooi, their cotton pads are made from a blend of organic bamboo and cotton fabrics they are really great to wash your face with whichever cleanser that you use. According to their website each pad lasts up to 1000 washes meaning that you it will be a long time until you need to, and they are very affordable too. Another brand that I use is StylPro and these are really great as they are thin so feel really comfortable on my face, they are also vegan which is fabulous! I also have a lovely storage box which I keep my pads in, this isn't necessary but if you do want to keep the pads organised you can buy it here.

I hope you choose to accept this challenge and ditch the disposable cotton pads (you'll be doing yourself and the environment a favour!) Let me know in the comments below if you do decide to make a change and also tell me how you've been getting on with the other challenges.

Last weekend was the Concentrated Sunshine Virtual Retreat which was such an amazing weekend of energising and empowering health and wellness classes, with some inspirational people! If you attended I'd like to say a huge huge thank you for all your support, it really does mean so much to me! If you didn't get a chance to come, missed a few sessions or came to everything and loved it so much that you want to do it again then you access all of the video recordings of the sessions in the video classes section on my website. All you have to do to access them is sign up to my site, which is very easy and free. Let me know if you enjoy them!

I have also created a survey asking for some retreat feedback and how you generally feel about Concentrated Sunshine. I would be so grateful if you would fill out the survey as I will try and use your ideas in other projects I decide to work on. Every response would really matter to me. You can take the survey here.

GET IN TOUCH

I'd love to hear from you email me at concentratedsunshine2@gmail.com message me or leave a comment or tag me on Instagram ,Facebook and Pinterest or leave a comment below!

SPREAD THE SUNSHINE

Please do share all my social media accounts and this blog with your friends and family and anyone who you can force it upon (!!) as it makes all the difference.

WANT MORE SUNSHINE?

If once a week isn't enough for you follow my social media (linked above) and as always subscribe by filling out the subscription form below to get and update every time I post, on other news and more!

Have a great week!

Megan x