Health & Beauty Products - Healthy & Beautiful Environment

Cleaning Out the Health & Beauty Cupboard Responsibly

Do old, expired, and unused pills, capsules, tubes, and bottles go to your bathroom cupboard to die and thereby turn your bathroom into a drugstore mausoleum? Do you routinely clear out unwanted and outdated items? I tackled this household task starting a year or so ago, and just finished it today due to complications of safe disposal. Caring for the environment puts a whole new spin on the Gospel admonition to love your neighbor!

A year or so ago, I emptied our "health and beauty cupboard" of all expired, old, unused materials, and bagged them up to go. But go where? This became overwhelming due to my interest in being good to the environment and my lack of answers to some key questions. I knew I couldn't simply toss it all in the weekly trash.

So there the big bag sat. And sat. And sat, collecting dust, a monument to my American life and the ever necessary drugstore sundries. Each time I went in our bathroom, it would haunt me quietly from its corner, though on many days I was blind to it. I no longer noticed it. It waited, gathering dust and suffering from the neglect of a project yet to be finished. Those unfinished projects have a way of adding to one's stress. The unanswered questions remained. What is the best thing to do with all that? Where do I dispose of it in a responsible way? Things my mother never taught me, that now are an issue.

It was clear from online articles, reports, and common sense when I'd read the ingredients, that these items do not belong in a landfill. Perhaps many others would simply carry it to the trashcan and be done with it. Over it. That wasn't good enough. Our environment suffers pollution and makes us sick due to toxic items that make their way into our soil and water. Scary stories exist on the Internet (no surprise!), like sterile male fish who suffered from birth control pills ending up in the water supply. Seriously, I read that and I don't have time to determine truth from legend. Anyway, I froze in my steps, burdened to figure out the best way to take care of all these medications, lotions, sprays, and nail polish, dragging this project on way too long.

Summer vacation is drawing to a close. It's back-to-work in about a week and a half, well past time to tackle my summer project list. I walked through our home, making note of tasks to be done that would have some impact. My bathroom bag of goodies gone bad hit the top of my mental list. Today became the day to break free of this little task that had become way too much of a burden.

As many of you know, the simple answer to the question, "How do you eat an elephant?" is, of course, one bite at a time. So I took on my task and broke it into small steps to release the pressure of figuring it all out and doing everything. Open the bag. Look inside. Listen to the questions that popped into mind. Research answers online. Proceed to sort.

My question remained: Where do I dump the various things that come out of the typical bathroom cupboard?

Here's what I learned. My pharmacy no longer accepts old medicine. Perhaps yours does. I did locate a local sheriff's department office that has a drop box for such items. I also came across information on the National Take-Back Day sponsored by the Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Agency known as the DEA. However, that only happens once or twice a year, and I refused to procrastinate any longer, if possible. So that takes care of the medicines, over-the-counter and prescription. I also learned other health and beauty products need to go in the hazardous waste category, and would have to wait to be disposed of until the next local hazardous waste collection event.

After gathering three grocery paper bags (and yes, they still come in handy), and a big plastic food bag that seals, I began sorting the items:

1. Bag 1 (Plastic, 1-gallon, closable): Prescription Medications: Remove labels to prevent personal information getting into the wrong hands. I will take these to the drop box at my local sheriff's office. I need to call first, because sometimes the drop boxes are full, need to be emptied, and no additional items can be deposited until then.
2. Bag 2: Toxic health and beauty supplies: If it is an aerosol can or has chemicals listed in the ingredients, or you just wouldn't want to eat or drink it, I considered it hazardous waste of the chemical sort. I'll let the hazardous waste collectors make the final determination. I will take these to the next local hazardous waste collection.
3. Bag 3: Loose pills, tablets, capsules - non-prescription (Plastic, 1-gallon, closable): I emptied supplements, lozenges, etc. - more harmless items into the bag loose. I disposed of the empty containers in Step 4. The bag of non-prescription, non-toxic items can be put in the trash, but one sight recommends adding used coffee grounds or anything to prevent children and animals from eating the contents. Another sight suggestion adding water to the bag to dissolve. The plastic bag will go into the landfill and last for years, so I'll keep reading to figure out a better way.
4. Bag 4 Recycling: I put empty plastic containers, boxes, and foil wrappers in this bag from emptying the contents into Step 3.

Once everything was sorted, I sealed the big plastic bag and set it inside the hazardous waste bag, and closed all four bags, labeling each. I set the medication bag near the door to be delivered to the sheriff's later today. Hazardous waste went to the garage to await the next collection event. The recycling went out to the blue recycling container. Done! Finished! Freedom! The bathroom looks better. I feel better. And it all took less than an hour after all that procrastination. Of course. And one thing I know now, consuming less and using what you buy would make this all easier, too.

Now there is a plan in place for the next attempt to update the health and beauty cupboard. Sure, this took more time than simply dumping it all in the trash dumpster. But I feel better knowing I took a little time to protect the environment which in turn is a great way to love your neighbor!

Do you pay attention to expiration dates? Does your pharmacy take back old medicines to help you dispose of them? What do you do when you clean out the medicine cabinet, or the health and beauty cupboard as I like to call it?

Helpful websites:

• http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/index.html 
• http://earth911.com/recycling/unwanted-or-expired-medications/ 
• http://www.smarxtdisposal.net/index.html
• http://www.helium.com/items/282953-environmental-guide-to-the-disposal-of-beauty-products

 

Weeknight Dinners - Dread or Delight

Weeknight meals. On some days, fixing dinner is a struggle, or a challenge, or just a bit of an ongoing nuisance in an effort to simplify it. Eating out was formerly the default, but with budget and healthy eating priorities, that has been redefined. Perhaps you can relate to this dilemma.

The weekday, or workday in my situation, zooms by. I often find myself at the end, unprepared to do the dinner thing. As the sun sets, so sink my ambitions of fixing something fast and flavorful. Some weeks, I plan, I shop, therefore I am ready. Other weeks, it is like a daily surprise that sneaks up on me. Really? It is time once again to gather around a plate or bowl that does not mysteriously fill itself. So I seek and search out sages of survival, like my mom, who could serve a meal and make it look effortless and taste satisfying.

In Bread & Wine, by Shauna Niequist, I found some worthy advice. I found her common sense information practical and comforting. On page 265, she writes a few pages of down-to-earth tips and advice that made my weeknight dinner life look more hopeful. And I discovered I am not alone in this. At the end of the day, we are tired, time is short, and people are hungry. The perfect storm of feeding.

By the way, Bread & Wine is a great book to read, especially if you enjoy cooking and shared meals with those you love, friends and family. I appreciated this honest look at life and how centering a shared meal can be.

Here is a summary I created of a section near the end of the book. This is useful to me for personal reference. You may find it helpful as well, so I wanted to share it here. My notes are somewhat abbreviated, so I apologize if something does not make complete sense here, and suggest grabbing the book to broaden your understanding and to get many more great insights, ideas on life and food, including recipes. The following is adapted from the section titled "On Weeknight Cooking, With Pantry List:"

Weeknight dinner rules of thumb:

• They are largely about what you have already done, as in cooked for another meal, a.k.a. leftovers.
• Planning and shopping are necessary.

Step 1: Look for leftovers. Leftovers lead the way.

Step 2: Ask…salad, soup, rice bowl, or taco? [Other options: pasta, sandwich] - Brilliant suggestions!

Step 3: Select and begin. 

Option 1: Salad...go big...full meal...no sides. Suggestions: Start with baby spinach, add protein (diced chicken), add crunch (pecans), add fruit (dried or fresh), add cheese, and toss with vinaigrette. My friend just introduced me to a salad like this with cheese tortellini as the protein.

Option 2: Soup...starting of course with the aromatics (onion, garlic, or perhaps ginger). Use rice, chicken, veggies (perhaps a can of diced tomatoes), and fresh herbs. Niequist suggests an easy chicken and rice soup combo: onion, cooked chicken, rice, broth, salt and pepper. She suggests other alternatives in the book. I liked her ideas to add a handful baby spinach or frozen peas, carrots, celery, or cubed potatoes. She notes that carrots and potatoes increase cooking time, so be aware.

Option 3: Rice Bowl...brown rice, chicken or chicken sausages, broccoli, and softened onion. She does include easy to follow steps for creating a simple rice bowl. The sauce she suggested made my mouth water: into the pan where the cook just pan-fried chicken breasts or sausage, add softened onion back in (cooked prior to the chicken), spoonful of Dijon, a splash of white wine or a few tablespoons broth. Let it mix and bubble and cook down to a quick pan sauce. Option: add a bit of butter or a few tablespoons of heavy cream or whole milk. Yum! Niequist also goes on to describe creative simple alternatives to change this up a bit.

Option 4: Tacos...she's served scrambled egg tacos, which might be worth a try. Also, she suggests black bean and goat cheese tacos or sliced avocado and hummus tacos with a splash of salsa. She provides more direction and suggestions to create quick tacos with what's on hand.

Lists: I am a list junkie. On pages 271-272, Niequist gives lists for what to keep on hand in the pantry, freezer, and refrigerator to make the weeknight dinner routine more drama-free. I'll lean into those lists as I continue to try to plan and shop to make dinner nice and not a nightmare.

"Who's up for scrambled eggs, pickles and syrup for dinner?" she cheered, and then realized with Shauna's lists, her dinnertime drama would soon end.

I feel empowered. What are your tips and tricks for weeknight dinners?

Note: I married a guy skilled in the kitchen with the gift of being able to throw open cupboard doors and like magic create a good meal, when I just stand there staring and groaning that there is nothing to eat. I am blessed to have a partner in the effort to provide dinner. Mondays are even his assigned night, since I'm doing all our laundry that day. Teamwork! So the weight of evening meals is not my burden to bear alone. for which I am grateful to him.

"There's nothing to eat for dinner," she cried in despair.