An exasperated Redditor shared a frustrating social media post by kitchen website Delish. In the post, Delish encourages overconsumption and waste, sparking outrage online.
The Redditor posted a screenshot from Delish featuring six common items in everyone's kitchen. The image reveals Delish's estimates for how long each item should last and when consumers should replace them.
According to the post, non-stick frying pans should be replaced after one to two years. Vegetable peelers should last only up to two years. For sponges, Delish claims they should be replaced every one to two weeks. And the item that sparked the most outrage online: dish towels. Delish says these should last only up to one year.
Astonishingly, there are nearly 9,000 comments on the post with Redditors appalled by the blatant promotion of wastefulness.
"I'm not buying a new pack of sponges until the old one literally disintegrates," wrote one user.
"Big Kitchen Supply at it again," joked one user. "I'm not falling for it, you're not getting my money. I'm taking this potato peeler to my grave."
What's more, many of the items listed aren't easily recyclable. For example, items like vegetable peelers and the handles of non-stick pans are typically made from black plastic. Black plastic is not typically recyclable. These products would simply be tossed into landfills, where they'd break down slowly over centuries, releasing microplastics and harmful gases into the environment.
That's not to mention the energy and material costs required to constantly produce new items.
For the consumer, holding onto kitchen utensils for as long as possible just makes financial sense. Sure, vegetable peelers and wooden spoons don't cost an arm and a leg, but there's no financial gain from throwing out perfectly good products just for the sake of getting something new.
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Price 💰 Peelers can be sharpened. Towels can be washed. Even sponges can be salvaged. According to the USDA, microwaving a sponge kills 99.99% of the bacteria that might be living on it.
When it is time to replace old items, however, consider donating your unwanted items to organizations dedicated to sustainability, such as Trashie and GotSneakers.
Redditors continued to express their shock by Delish's post and emphasized longevity over buying new.
"I have decades-old vegetable peelers and towels," wrote one commenter. "This is insanity."
"Honestly, I kinda feel like towels aren't GOOD until they've had a year of use," commented another Redditor.
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