We love ingenious little hacks that eliminate waste, especially ones we've never seen before.
One Redditor recently took to the r/mildlyinteresting subreddit with exactly that. The user, u/beeranden, posted a picture of the tiny spatula his wife uses to get the last bit of lotion out of her lotion container.
Getting the last bit of lotion out of the container before throwing it away may seem like a small thing, but taking steps like this can have a big effect over time for the environmentally conscious consumer.
Products like lotion, soap, and shampoo often come packaged in plastic bottles. And the more efficiently and thoroughly you manage to use each bottle, the fewer you have to buy in the long run.
Around 420 million tons of plastic are produced yearly worldwide. And the vast majority of that ends up sitting in landfills or finds its way into the ocean. Just 5% of plastic waste in the United States was recycled in 2021 — a drop-off from 9.5% in 2014.
That's why getting every bit of lotion out of the lotion bottle is a very worthy goal. Other commenters on the Reddit thread, which made its way over to the popular r/ZeroWaste subreddit, chimed in with their tips and tricks for getting that last bit of lotion.
"I just cut open everything when it's 'done' pumping/coming out of the bottle in the normal way. Scissors or exacto knife for harder plastics like this bottle does the trick. I'm always [surprised] how much more is in most containers," wrote u/nunyabizznaz.
Another commenter, u/tacoflavoredkisses, wrote, "I've always been able to get the last bit of lotion out by turning the bottle upside down and letting it drain into a small jar."
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