Ditch the Dryer Sheets
Do you ever find yourself at the French Broad River staring at piles of plastic litter wondering what you can do to stop this? Asheville GreenWorks and our sister page, Going Plastic Free, are here to help you make this happen! Mind Your Plastic May is a month-long campaign to inform you about the grave social and environmental harms that ensue from plastic waste and equip you with the knowledge to reduce plastic in your own life.
All month long, we will be sharing plastic reduction tips, volunteer opportunities to address plastic waste, educational materials featuring local Asheville businesses, and much more. We aim to foster knowledge and encourage mindfulness around plastic consumption and disposal for individuals and business owners. This month, we hope you will follow us on Facebook and Instagram, where you will gain valuable knowledge about how to refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle plastics, as well as learn about local waste reduction efforts.
Join our Race2Reduce and commit to decreasing your plastic usage for the entire month of May. Sign up here to join the challenge and earn points to win a $25/$50/$75 gift card to Ware!
Many thanks to the businesses and restaurants who supported this effort and are working hard to reduce their own plastic waste. #goingplasticfree
Join us in our love for the planet as we address and defeat our global plastic addition.
Mind Your Plastic May is meant to encourage and challenge us in our journey to live plastic free. These posts are created by GreenWorks staff. If you've found these posts helpful and encouraging, please consider making a donation to support this work. If you have any questions, please email sustainability@ashevillegreenworks.org.
Ditch the Dryer Sheets
Have you ever thought about plastic reduction in your laundry room? How about those fresh-smelling dryer sheets that reduce static electricity, leaving your clothes feeling soft? Dryer sheets are made from synthetic polyester, and the toxic chemicals contained in dryer sheet fabric softeners are what target the electrostatic charges. Dryer sheets are a sneaky single-use plastic, designed to be used once then tossed out, where they will persist in the environment forever.
Wool dryer balls are a simple swap for dryer sheets. Made of natural material, they will biodegrade after use, do not contain toxic chemicals, and can be re-used for up to 1000 loads. Wool dryer balls replace dryer sheets in function by softening clothes and reducing static cling. They speed up the drying process, which saves money, time, and energy. Because they are made of natural materials, they can be returned to the earth at the end of their life and do not need to be sent to the landfill. If you also want to recreate the fresh scent of traditional dryer sheets, apply a few drops of your favorite essential oils to the dryer balls before placing them in the load. Locally, Shecology sells dryer balls at Littlest Birds, or they can be ordered online.
Bonus laundry room tip: Consider the microplastics! Every time you wash your synthetic polyester clothing, microscopic plastic fibers are shed from your clothing into the water. When purchasing new clothing, try to buy clothes made of natural fibers whenever possible. If you require some synthetics, wash these items as infrequently as possible to reduce the amount of microplastics you are releasing into the water.
Sincerely,
Julia Krebs-Moberg
Asheville GreenWorks
Waste Reduction Education Coordinator
AmeriCorps Project Conserve
