We live in a disposable society and consumer culture. We purchase single-use alkaline batteries and then throw them in the trash after use. We use paper coffee cups and plastic stir sticks that ultimately wind up being tossed after just one use. Even the packaging our food comes in is designed to be thrown away. We are all coming to realize it make more sense to reuse what we can.
The reusable mindset is one of our motivations for producing USB rechargeable batteries. We believe that rechargeable lithium ion batteries are better for both the environment and economics because they eliminate the need to throw away thousands of single-use alkaline batteries.
If you took the time to write down all of the disposable products you use on a daily basis, we bet you would be surprised. We just take for granted the fact that we can carelessly throw so much away. But do the math and you will discover you can save thousands of dollars every year by switching to reusable products.
We specialize in lithium-ion batteries, so let's start here to illustrate the point. We recently dug around and found a pack of 16 AA alkaline batteries from a well-known manufacturer for $12.40. At that price, you pay $3.10 for 4 batteries. A 4-pack of our USB rechargeable AA batteries runs about $30. Yes, that's 10 times as much.
However, just one of our batteries can replace up to 4,000 alkaline batteries. That means you would have to purchase 1,000 packs of alkaline batteries at $3.10 each to equal just one of our lithium-ion batteries. You could save thousands by going reusable.
Batteries are just the starting point for going reusable. Think about all the other disposable items in your home. Maybe your family uses paper plates and napkins during the week. Paper certainly is more convenient in that you don't have to wash and dry the dishes after every meal. But how much money are you throwing in the wastebasket?
Every package of paper plates is more money spent. You will spend less money by choosing plastic or ceramic plates that you can use probably for the rest of your life. The amount of money you spend washing them still won't be as much as what you spend on paper products.
Everything from paper cups to straws can be replaced with reusable products. Paper towels can be replaced with fabric towels. Replace those disposable floor cleaning pads with an old-fashioned string mop. In the bathroom, replace your disposable razors with a straight blade or an electric shaver. The list goes on and on.
Switching to reusable products can save even more money when you shop in bulk. There are plenty of wholesale stores willing to give you great bulk prices on everything from paper goods to food. You just have to be willing to think in the bulk mindset.
Buying in bulk is essentially taking advantage of wholesale prices. A membership in a wholesale club gives you access to the same prices that retailers pay. But instead of paying the higher prices retailers charge, you put the retailers' profit back in your own pocket. That translates into some pretty good savings.
Let's face it, we still live in a throwaway society, but change is possible. Using more reusable products would save us thousands and slow down the rate at which we are filling up landfills. We encourage you to start thinking reusable. A good place to begin is to switch out your alkaline batteries for rechargeable lithium ion batteries from Paleblue.
