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An absorbent kitchen sponge is a mess-battling product you’ll find in almost every kitchen. This super efficient kitchen item only needs a swish of a hand to rid the offensive mess from the counter, sink, cooking area etc. But the cost of this little ‘swishing object’ goes far beyond the price you pay for it, think environment damage.
Firstly, kitchen sponges are mostly oil-based plastic, crafted using polyurethane (a petroleum based ingredient). To add to that, if they happen to be anti-bacterial/anti-fungal or odour fighters, they tend to contain Triclosan – another hugely researched chemical, responsible for multiple health issues like skin irritation and liver toxicity. Triclosan that gets mixed with water can’t be cleansed out of the waste water, resulting in toxic chemicals which in turn affect marine life. To add to that, using a sponge regularly for cleaning all the surfaces only aids in transferring bacteria around from one surface to the other.
Being vigilant about hygiene with these sponges(for example: keep them clean by washing them with hot water regularly) is crucial, as is replacing them frequently, which is an absolute necessity. But every time your disfigured piece of overused, germ infested sponge goes into the trash, it contributes to waste that doesn’t decompose easily. Also, if every urban household in India – taken as roughly 8 crore (assuming a rough figure of 5 members per household) was to change their cleaning sponge even once in two months, the total number of sponges i.e. plastic material going into landfills is a number scary enough to even calculate.
If you want to make a difference, to begin with replace your sponge with a more Eco friendly option. Make your own kitchen scrubby/ scouring pads using old plastic meshes from fruits and veggies. You can find the instructions, here. Alternately use rags from old t-shirts or towels.
If you do continue to use a sponge, well, try not to trash it. You can sure put it to some good use and make interesting things with it. Listed below are 8 such ideas. Just make sure you thoroughly clean the sponge prior to use (hot water, microwave – look it up on the web).
Image Courtesy: http://www.everynothingwonderful.com/2011/01/creative-re-use-cork-sponge.html
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Have more ideas for recycling them or replacing them in your household altogether? Please do share, we’d love to hear.
1) Sponges can be cut into pieces and stuck under table, chair legs, vase, flower pots so that they don’t scratch, leave a stain on the floor and absorb excess water (in case of a vase or flower pot).
2) Sponges absorb odour,especially cigarette smoke. So leaving a wet sponge in a room or bathroom is helpful in keeping odour at bay.
Thanks Nandita, we shall definitely these