Which is really greener?
Sustainability expert
We all want to be more green, but while we can have the best of eco intentions, it can be hard to know where to begin when it comes to being environmentally friendly.
Should we switch to a bamboo toothbrush, and will that bag for life really save the planet?
Here sustainability expert Georgina Wilson-Powell debunks some of the most common green misconceptions, and shares what really does spell good news for the world around us.
E-READERS or BOOKS?
Both e-readers and regular books have an environmental cost. But which is greener depends on the number of books you read. An e-reader needs to read at least 25 books a year for the emissions produced in its manufacture to be less than the emissions that would be created by producing the same number of physical books.
Most people keep an e-reader for around four years before updating it – so, if you know you won’t read 100 books over four years, books are the greenest option for you. If you’re a regular reader, however, digital books are the more eco-friendly choice.
WASHING-UP or THE DISHWASHER?
Modern dishwashers are less wasteful than you might think. They do a full load using a fraction of the water you’d need to wash the same number of dishes by hand.
A fast-running tap can shoot out nine litres of water a minute, and a dishwasher might use 25 litres per load. Both options use a similar amount of energy, but when you take into account the extra water that washing-up uses, dishwashers have the edge.
There are a few caveats, though: only run it on full, use the eco setting (which saves up to 20 per cent of electricity), and scrape rather than rinse leftovers from the dishes first. Pre-rinsing could mean you’re wasting up to 27,000 litres of water a year. Finally, skip the dry cycle – leave the door open to let the dishes air-dry instead.
BATH or SHOWER?
While it might seem like a bath uses more water than a shower, that’s not necessarily the case. The average tub holds 136 litres, while the average shower pumps out 19 litres of water per minute (unless you install a water-saving shower head). That means showering for more than seven minutes uses at least the amount of water in a full bath. So, a shower is only the greenest option if it doesn’t go on for too long.
ELECTRIC or MANUAL TOOTHBRUSH
Whatever you choose, move away from disposable plastic toothbrushes as they’re almost impossible to recycle. Bamboo toothbrushes are much greener – bamboo grows quickly and needs little water to flourish. There is still no non-plastic, cruelty-free replacement for nylon bristles, so most bamboo brushes aren’t 100 per cent biodegradable. Choose responsibly sourced bamboo and remember to compost the handles instead of sending them to landfill.
With electric toothbrushes, older battery-powered models aren’t particularly eco. Newer versions can be battery-free and made of recycled plastic, making them more sustainable. They almost always have removable heads, which can be replaced every few months.
Some companies even let customers send back old toothbrush heads for recycling.
So, although bamboo might seem the most eco-friendly choice, electric toothbrushes can be green if you know what to look for.
PLASTIC BAG or COTTON SHOPPER?
To decide how green a bag is, you need to consider its whole life cycle – the resources used in its production, how much energy went into making it, how long it lasts, whether it can be recycled, and what it breaks down into once discarded.
Many supermarkets no longer provide single-use bags, instead offering reusable
“bags for life”. But these heavier, stronger bags use more plastic and cause more emissions when manufactured. So unless you use one more than 12 times, it’s actually worse for the planet than its single-use predecessor.
A cotton tote bag needs to be used more than 130 times to be more efficient than plastic, in terms of the resources and energy used to make it. On the plus side, bags made from natural fibres such as cotton don’t cause pollution when disposed of, unlike plastic.
To be a greener bag user, the key is to use as few as possible, and to reuse for as long as possible, whatever the material.
BAR SOAP or REFILLABLE BOTTLES?
Liquid soaps and hair products contribute vast amounts of plastic to landfills. The plastic pump bottles that liquid hand soap comes in are often made from single-use plastic that can’t be recycled.
Even if you’re able to refill your bottles, liquid soaps and shampoos aren’t great for the planet. Compared with solid versions, they require more water and energy to produce, and contain synthetic chemicals that, once in waterways, can harm wildlife.
If you’re joining the solid-soap party, look for small-batch or handmade bars. Solid shower gel and body scrubs, as well as shampoo and conditioner, are also greener.
REUSABLE NAPPIES or DISPOSABLE
In the UK, three billion disposable nappies are used each year, with most babies getting through up to 6,000 by the time they’re potty trained. Most end up in landfill, where they’ll take hundreds of years to decompose.
Reusable nappies aren’t always greener though. One report found that the electricity used to wash them over two-and-a-half years accounts for 570kg of CO2, while manufacturing enough disposable nappies for the same period of time produces only 550kg. So, wash at 30C and hang them out to dry instead.
IDLE IN TRAFFIC or SWITCH OFF ENGINE?
Keeping your engine running when stationary adds to unhealthy air pollution. The situation here is quite simple. Idling your engine while stationary for more than 10 seconds uses more energy and emits more greenhouse gases than stopping and starting the engine. The cumulative effect of this has a definite impact – for every 10 minutes you turn off the engine instead of idling, you save half a kilogram of CO2.
Georgina Wilson-Powell examines common eco swaps to find out which ones actually spell good news for the planet