Plastic-free cotton swabs

Cotton swabs are a plastic nightmare. I cannot believe that they are still being manufactured with plastic rods. The problem with the plastic rods is that they're not recyclable. They wind up in landfill or the ocean where they don't biodegrade. Luckily, there are better versions with paper, or bamboo rods that are biodegradable/compostable.

Availability can be an issue though. My options are few. For instance, I can't get my cotton swabs completely plastic-free from my local stores. I can either get swabs with paper rods in a plastic box or bamboo swabs in a plastic zip-lock bag. These are still better options because unlike the plastic rods, the packaging is recyclable. Cotton swabs by Hydrophil is the 100% plastic-free alternative for Europeans. Hydrophil is an awesome brand if you're looking for plastic free toiletries. The cotton swabs have bamboo rods and are packaged in a paper box. They can be found on Hydrophils website and Ecco Verde.

Buying online is my last option because it's not that eco-friendly. The local store is actually the most sustainable option, even if the product has plastic packaging. I explained some of this in my post "Greener online shopping".

Anyway, thank you for reading! I hope this shed some light on cotton swabs. Check out my post "Sustainable in the bathroom" to see more Hydrophil products and other swaps you can do.