I have the neatest little pan that has raised ridges and is slanted to catch the grease for frying bacon in the microwave. Don't know where DH found it, but we've had it for years. I hardly ever use paper towels, but I do keep probably 3 rolls on hand.colonialgirl wrote: ↑Thu Jul 12, 2018 5:55 pm LM - great point about the paper plates. I only buy a small package around the holidays to send leftovers home with my family. It is so funny, during the year people will be at my house for meals or something and ask where I keep the paper plates. I tell them I don't use them and they look at me like I said I the sky is pink. They don't really believe that anyone doesn't use them daily.
I do use paper towels for specific tasks (draining bacon, putting fruit that stains on them to dry after the vinegar wash, etc) but I started dating my roll when I change it and discover I only use one roll every 4-6 weeks. I don't think that is too bad. I don't use coffee filters, or paper napkins or paper/plastic cups or glasses or straws or plastic flatware. So paper towels, TP, and cupcake liners are about the extent of my paper use. And I am not giving them up.
I seem to remember a previous poster a long time ago who said her family used cloth wipes made from flannel instead of toilet paper. I am on a septic tank and considered it, but never followed through, maybe since I'm by myself I should revisit it. I would definitely have toilet tissue for my guests because some people would pass on thinking about going to this extreme for the environment.
I have researched it and it doesn't seem like it's to much trouble, and they are easy to make using pinking shears. Some might have an eek factor, but a mesh laundry bag inside a pail would keep you from touching the cloth that had been used for urine or poop. I raised two kids using cloth diapers and it never bothered me to rinse out the poop and those were kept in a diaper pail in a vinegar/water solution. From what I've read they actually recommend leaving them dry now. Seems the solution causes bacteria to grow.
My friends are amazed that I don't use paper plates, and I dislike them so much until I don't buy them. I always keep enough throw-away plastic containers on hand for anyone that wants to take something home with them. At least they will reuse those when they've emptied them, or I hope they do.
I have enough white & ivory cloth napkins to host a party of at least 50 people so I never buy paper napkins either. I bought them in bulk and they were very reasonable. I love my cloth napkins and have a cute little holder on the kitchen counter that holds at least 8 cloth ones. If there was a serious spill then we'd use paper towels to clean it up.
I have a perfectly good computer monitor and 19" TV that I am trying to give away so I don't have to throw them in the dump. I haven't found a place locally that will recycle them and that just kills me. I may try putting them on the street and hope someone will take them. I'd have to have my son-in-law do it for they are to heavy for me to handle. Then if they don't get taken he would have to haul them to the dumpster for me anyway. I've talked to the worker at the dumpster and ask him if when I brought them if there was a place that people could pick up things that were still working. He said they had tried that, but nobody wants a TV with a tube in it anymore, everyone wants the flat screens even if the TV was free. Decision, decisions.