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First assist kits usually include single-use, disposable medical provides that inevitably find yourself in landfills for a number of causes, together with sanitation, ease of use, and effectivity in emergencies. New supplies and the most recent packaging can cut back the environmental affect of your emergency medical cabinet.
Single-use objects like antiseptic wipes, adhesive bandages, and gauze pads are individually packaged to keep up a sterile surroundings, lowering the chance of an infection when treating wounds or different medical points. There are merchandise you should utilize, and habits you may change that may improve the sustainability of your medication cupboard by lowering waste and utilizing extra sustainable supplies.
This article doesn’t present an exhaustive listing of first assist provides, however you may confer with The American Red Cross for an inventory of first aid kit requirements and steering on sustaining your property emergency provides.
The Dawn of Biodegradable Bandages
Among the commonest medical provides used are adhesive bandages. Most bandages embody plastic, latex, cloth, and vinyl resin supplies that aren’t biodegradable or compostable. Of course, bandages are designed for single use. Still, new bandage supplies, resembling bamboo, might help cut back their environmental affect. Bamboo is a extra sustainable materials different as a result of it’s a renewable resource and biodegradable material.
The Australian model Patch, an authorized B Corp, presents bandages with cloth created from bamboo. They ship internationally, together with to the United States, and yow will discover their merchandise on Amazon. They have choices for bandages with pure substances added into the gauze to boost therapeutic, resembling coconut oil to cut back irritation, activated charcoal to attract out toxins, or aloe vera to appease wounds. Patch additionally created a body tape created from bamboo, avoiding the plastic and artificial supplies utilized in conventional physique tapes which can be used to help muscle groups after accidents.
Another bandage choice made with bamboo is FEBU bandages, that are plastic and latex-free. They are biodegradable in your house compost in 10 weeks. FEBU’s bandage wrappers are additionally compostable; nonetheless, the paper backing on the adhesive is just not. You should purchase Patch Bandages on Amazon. Patch additionally makes reusable paper towels, laundry detergent sheets, and occasional cups.
Another choice for bandages with a decrease environmental affect comes from Welly bandages, which can be found on Amazon or many retailers, together with Walgreens and Target. Welly bandages are available a reusable tin that you would be able to repurpose for any variety of makes use of. Consider utilizing the small tin for carrying different small first assist provides like antibiotic ointment, cough drops, and tablets.
Some individuals might have issues that composting a bandage with blood on it could possibly be a well being hazard. There are completely different opinions about this, however some researchers associated composting blood to the horticultural use of bloodmeal, a soil modification created from the dried blood of animals. Whether or not you determine to compost a bloodied bandage generally is a resolution primarily based in your private desire.
Choose Your Face masks Carefully
While we hope by no means to want them as we did throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there could also be instances throughout chilly and flu or wildfire smoke season when face masks present a well being and security profit. Easydry is a biodegradable towel retailer primarily based in Ireland that gives a compostable face mask that’s OK compost-certified for residence and industrial composting. These 100% biodegradable masks absolutely decompose in residence or industrial compost piles inside twelve weeks.
Consider reuse as a substitute of single-use. New York Magazine collected and examined many reusable face masks. Whether you might be searching for single-use, upcycled fabric, fair labor practices, or environmentally responsible production strategies, there are many choices for a extra sustainable face masks for you.
Rethink Your Habits
In addition to altering the merchandise in your first assist package, there are habits you may undertake to be extra sustainable.
Remember to buy solely portions you should utilize earlier than their expiration date to keep away from creating pointless waste when buying first assist provides.
You can forestall artificial ointments from contributing to water air pollution by rising vegetation with therapeutic properties, resembling aloe vera, which might moisturize pores and skin and soothe sunburns. And study a wide range of medicinal herbs, together with chamomile, wintergreen, lavender, and rosemary that you would be able to develop to assist alleviate ache, ease nausea, cut back stress, and extra.
These concepts symbolize progress towards a extra environmentally accountable first assist package however firms have to do higher. Removing composite paper-and-plastic or paper-and-metal sterile wipes packaging, as an illustration, or adopting biodegradable supplies and adhesives would go a great distance towards lowering the affect of our emergency medical provides.
Review your present first assist package and think about writing a letter to the businesses whose merchandise you utilize. Tell them you’d like extra sustainable choices.
