Going Zero Waste

lastswab vs cotton buds
LastSwab vs Cotton Buds: An Honest Comparison (UK)
LastSwab is a silicone-tipped, reusable cotton bud that lasts for up to 1,000 uses. Standard cotton buds — whether paper-stemmed or the older plastic variety — are used once and... Mehr lesen …
uk cotton bud plastic ban
The UK Plastic Cotton Bud Ban: What Changed, What Didn't, and What's Next
On 1 October 2020, England became one of the first countries to ban the sale of plastic-stemmed cotton buds. Scotland had already acted in June 2019, and Wales followed in... Mehr lesen …
cotton bud alternatives uk
Cotton Bud Alternatives: What Actually Works (UK Guide)
Since England banned plastic-stemmed cotton buds in 2020, and with growing awareness of single-use waste, more people in the UK are looking for cotton bud alternatives. The good news: there... Mehr lesen …
reusable cotton buds guide
Reusable Cotton Buds: The Complete UK Guide
The average person in the UK uses around 415 cotton buds per year. Most end up in landfill — or worse, flushed down the toilet and into coastal waterways, where... Mehr lesen …
best reusable makeup remover pads
The Best Reusable Makeup Remover Pads: What to Look For (and What We Use)
The market for reusable makeup remover pads has expanded significantly in the last few years. That's a good thing — but it also means there's more variation in quality. Some... Mehr lesen …
how many uses do reusable makeup pads last
How Many Uses Do Reusable Makeup Pads Last? The Real Numbers
When people switch to reusable makeup remover pads, one of the first questions they ask is: how long do they actually last? The honest answer depends on the material, how... Mehr lesen …
reusable vs disposable makeup remover pads
Reusable vs Disposable Makeup Remover Pads: An Honest Comparison
Reusable makeup remover pads have one obvious claim: they're better for the environment. But before you make any swap to your skincare routine, the real question is whether they perform... Mehr lesen …
are reusable makeup pads hygienic
Are Reusable Makeup Pads Hygienic? The Honest Answer
The most common objection to reusable makeup pads is also the most understandable: "Won't they just spread bacteria back onto my face?" It's a fair question. But the short answer... Mehr lesen …
how to clean reusable makeup pads
How to Clean Reusable Makeup Pads (And Make Them Last)
Reusable makeup remover pads are one of the easiest sustainable swaps you can make — but only if they stay clean. A poorly cared-for pad can harbour product buildup, become... Mehr lesen …
Are Reusable Cotton Swabs Worth It?
Are Reusable Cotton Swabs Worth It? An Honest Answer
Reusable cotton swabs work as well as disposables for cosmetic tasks, cost less over time, and have a measurably lower environmental impact. Here is the evidence. Mehr lesen …
Complete Guide to Reusable Cotton Swabs
The Complete Guide to Reusable Cotton Swabs (2026)
Everything you need to know about reusable cotton swabs: how they work, how they compare to Q-Tips and Amazon Basics, what the EU ban means, and whether the switch is... Mehr lesen …
The Complete Guide to Reusable Cotton Rounds
Everything You Need to Know About Switching to Reusable Cotton Rounds If you use toner, micellar water, or makeup remover, you use cotton rounds. And if you use cotton rounds daily, you throw away over 700 of them per year. This guide covers everything: what reusable cotton rounds are, how they compare to disposables, which types are available, how to care for them, and which is right for you. What Are Reusable Cotton Rounds? Reusable cotton rounds are washable alternatives to disposable cotton pads. They are made from organic cotton,... Mehr lesen …
The Complete Guide to Reusable Tissues
The Definitive Guide to Switching from Disposable to Reusable Tissues Tissues are one of the last unconsidered disposables in most zero-waste bathrooms. This guide covers everything: what reusable tissues are, how they compare to disposables, the different types available, care instructions, and how to choose the right option for you. What Are Reusable Tissues? Reusable tissues are washable alternatives to single-use facial tissues. Instead of pulling a paper tissue from a box, using it for seconds, and discarding it, you use a small cloth — typically organic cotton or bamboo... Mehr lesen …
Why We Created LastSwab
Why We Created LastSwab
LastSwab started with a simple question: why does something used for 30 seconds need to be thrown away? The story of how we built a reusable cotton swab — and... Mehr lesen …
EU Cotton Pad Regulations and the Shift to Sustainable Alternatives
How European Regulation Is Reshaping the Cotton Pad Market European environmental regulation has increasingly targeted single-use items, and cotton pads — despite being a relatively small product category — are directly in scope. Here is a practical overview of what regulations exist, what's coming, and what it means for consumers and brands. The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (2019/904) The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive was adopted in 2019 and came into force across member states in July 2021. Its primary mechanism is a ban on specific single-use plastic items — those... Mehr lesen …
8 Everyday Situations Where Reusable Tissues Outperform Disposables
When Reusable Actually Wins on Performance Most reusable alternatives to disposables involve some compromise on convenience. Reusable tissues are one of the exceptions — there are specific situations where cloth outperforms paper, not just environmentally, but in the actual experience of using it. Here are eight of them. 1. The Prolonged Winter Cold Three days into a heavy cold, your nose is raw, chapped, and sensitive. This is exactly when most people reach for Kleenex Balsam with added aloe and wish they could find something gentler. Cotton jersey does not... Mehr lesen …
Why We Created LastRound
The Cotton Round Nobody Thought About When we launched LastSwab in 2019, the response surprised us. People hadn't thought much about cotton buds — they were just part of the routine. But when asked to imagine how many they had thrown away over their lifetime, the number landed differently. That shift in perspective — from individual habit to cumulative impact — is what LastObject is built on. After LastSwab, we started looking at what else was sitting in the bathroom cabinet, used daily and discarded without thought. Cotton rounds were... Mehr lesen …
LastSwab vs Q-Tips: An Honest Comparison
LastSwab vs Q-Tips: An Honest Comparison
Q-Tips invented the cotton swab category. LastSwab was designed to replace it. Here is a direct, honest comparison across performance, cost, health, and environmental impact. Mehr lesen …
Why We Created LastTissue
A Box of Kleenex Isn't a Single Piece of Plastic Most people, when they think about plastic-free living, think about bottles, bags, and straws. A box of tissues doesn't obviously register as a problem. It's paper, after all. But a standard tissue box contains a plastic film window, a plastic opening tab, and in most cases the tissues themselves contain polyester fibres. None of it is recyclable once used. When we started mapping the disposable products in the average bathroom, tissues appeared consistently in the top five by volume. And... Mehr lesen …
LastRound vs Face Halo: Which Reusable Makeup Remover Wins?
Two Different Solutions to the Same Problem Both LastRound and Face Halo are reusable skincare tools designed to reduce disposable cotton pad waste. But they take meaningfully different approaches — different materials, different use cases, and different ideal users. Here is an honest comparison. Face Halo: The Microfibre Approach Face Halo launched in Australia in 2017 and built its brand around a single insight: microfibre can remove makeup with water alone. The product's weave creates a mechanical cleaning action — tiny fibres lift and trap pigment particles without requiring a... Mehr lesen …
LastSwab vs Amazon Basics
LastSwab vs Amazon Basics Cotton Swabs: Is the Cheapest Option Actually the Cheapest?
Amazon Basics cotton swabs cost almost nothing per unit. So how does a reusable swab that costs more compare on total cost, waste, and performance over time? Mehr lesen …
Are Cloth Handkerchiefs and Reusable Tissues Hygienic?
The "Gross Factor" Argument, Examined The most common objection to reusable tissues is hygiene — specifically, the idea that putting a used cloth back in your pocket is inherently disgusting or dangerous. This argument was deployed effectively by Kleenex's marketing campaigns in the mid-20th century and persists today, despite limited scientific support. Here is what the evidence actually suggests. The Science of Handkerchief Hygiene Academic research on handkerchief hygiene is surprisingly sparse — it is not a topic that attracts significant research funding. The available studies are mixed but broadly... Mehr lesen …
LastRound vs Generic Reusable Cotton Rounds: What's the Difference?
Not All Reusable Cotton Rounds Are Equal The reusable cotton round category has grown significantly since 2018. What started as a niche sustainable product is now available from discount retailers, fast-fashion brands, and dedicated sustainable brands alike. The price range runs from under £5 for a large pack of generic rounds to £18–£25 for premium options. The difference between them is not always obvious from a product listing — but it becomes apparent after 50 washes. The Generic Category: Pros and Cons Generic reusable cotton rounds — often sold in... Mehr lesen …
EU Plastic Cotton Swab Ban
The EU Plastic Cotton Swab Ban: What It Covers, What It Doesn't, and What Comes Next
The EU banned plastic-stemmed cotton swabs in 2021. The UK followed. Here is exactly what the law says, which products are affected, and why banning plastic stems alone does not... Mehr lesen …
LastTissue vs Kleenex: An Honest Comparison
The World's Most Famous Tissue vs. Its Reusable Alternative Kleenex is so dominant in the tissue category that its name has become generic — in the UK, "Kleenex" is often used to mean any facial tissue, regardless of brand. It is the benchmark against which any alternative is measured. Here is an honest, feature-by-feature comparison. Softness Kleenex: Tissue softness is achieved through a combination of short, fine fibres, embossing, and in premium lines (Ultra Soft, Balsam), added lotion or aloe vera. Kleenex Balsam in particular is designed for raw, irritated... Mehr lesen …
12 Surprising Uses for Cotton Rounds Beyond Skincare
More Than a Makeup Remover Most people think of cotton rounds in one context: removing toner, micellar water, or makeup. But their softness, absorbency, and circular shape make them useful across a surprising range of applications — many of which work just as well with reusable rounds as disposable ones. Beauty and Skincare Beyond the Basics 1. Applying Toner or Essence The classic use. A cotton round absorbs and distributes liquid products evenly across the face without your hands transferring bacteria. For water-based essences and toners, a light-touch application with... Mehr lesen …
Cotton Swab Uses Beyond Ear Cleaning
Cotton Swab Uses Beyond Ear Cleaning (And the Reusable Way to Do All of Them)
Most people use cotton swabs for their ears, but that's not what they're designed for. Here are the tasks cotton swabs actually do well — and how to do them... Mehr lesen …
Tissue Statistics: The Real Cost of Disposable Tissues
The Numbers Behind Your Tissue Habit Tissues feel trivial — each one is used for seconds and costs a fraction of a penny. But the aggregate numbers tell a different story. Here is a data-driven look at tissue consumption, its cost, and the impact of switching to reusables. Individual Consumption 7–10 boxes per household per year in the UK (Mintel household tissue data) 560–1,000 individual tissues per household per year Cold season spike: tissue use roughly doubles during winter months — a single cold episode can use 50–100 tissues in... Mehr lesen …
Cotton Round Statistics: The Numbers Behind Skincare Waste
Putting the Numbers in Context Abstract sustainability arguments are often less compelling than concrete numbers. Here is a data-driven look at cotton round consumption — how many are used, how much they cost, how much waste they generate, and what switching to reusables actually means in measurable terms. Individual Consumption ~730 rounds per year — typical for someone using one round morning and evening ~1,460 rounds per year — for double-cleansing routines or those using rounds for nail polish removal as well ~36,500 rounds over 50 years — the lifetime... Mehr lesen …
Cotton Swab Statistics
Cotton Swab Statistics: The Numbers Behind a Billion-Dollar Throwaway Habit
How many cotton swabs are thrown away every day? How many ear injuries do they cause? The data behind the world's most common single-use personal care item. Mehr lesen …
How Cotton Rounds Are Made: From Farm to Bathroom
What Is Actually in a Cotton Round? Pull a cotton round from the bag and it feels simple — soft, white, circular. But the manufacturing process that creates it, and the materials it contains, vary significantly between disposable and reusable versions. Understanding the difference matters for making an informed choice. Disposable Cotton Rounds: The Manufacturing Process Most disposable cotton rounds are made via a nonwoven textile process — meaning the fibres are bonded together without weaving or knitting. Fibre preparation: Raw cotton is cleaned of seeds, leaves, and debris (a... Mehr lesen …
Reusable Tissues: How LastTissue Is Made
Designing a Better Tissue The design challenge for LastTissue was not primarily the cloth — soft, washable cotton has been used as handkerchief material for centuries. The challenge was the system: how do you carry reusable tissues in daily life without the clean ones becoming contaminated by the used ones? The Two-Chamber Case The silicone case is LastTissue's core innovation. It has two distinct chambers: Clean side: Where fresh, washed tissues are stored, accessible from one opening. Used side: Where used tissues go after use, sealed from the clean side.... Mehr lesen …
How Cotton Swabs Are Made
How Cotton Swabs Are Made — And Why the Process Is Fundamentally Wasteful
From cotton field to landfill, a disposable cotton swab passes through a surprisingly resource-intensive supply chain for something used for 30 seconds. Mehr lesen …
The History of Cotton Rounds in Beauty
From Cotton Wool Rolls to Skincare Staple The cotton round's journey from practical utility item to ubiquitous bathroom staple spans roughly a century — tracing the parallel rise of commercial cosmetics, post-war convenience culture, and eventually the sustainability backlash that has reshaped how we think about everyday products. Before the Cotton Round: Cloths, Flannel, and Cotton Wool For most of human history, skincare application and removal relied on whatever soft fabric was at hand. In European households, small squares of linen or flannel were common for applying cold creams and... Mehr lesen …
The History of the Handkerchief and How Tissues Took Over
Before the Tissue Box For most of recorded history, the cloth handkerchief served every function that disposable tissues serve today. Blowing the nose, wiping tears, dabbing away perspiration, removing cosmetics — all were the province of a small square of woven fabric, carried in a pocket or sleeve, washed, and used again. The Handkerchief as Cultural Object The handkerchief's history stretches back at least to ancient Greece and Rome, where fine linen squares were carried by the wealthy as symbols of refinement. By the European Renaissance, embroidered handkerchiefs had become... Mehr lesen …
The History of the Cotton Swab
The History of the Cotton Swab: From a Baby's Bath to a Global Waste Problem
The cotton swab was invented in 1923. One hundred years later, billions are thrown away every day. Here is the full history — and where the story goes next. Mehr lesen …
The Environmental Impact of Disposable Cotton Rounds
Why Your Skincare Routine Has a Hidden Waste Problem Cotton rounds are one of the most overlooked contributors to bathroom waste. Small, seemingly harmless, and used for just seconds before being discarded — yet their cumulative environmental impact is significant. If you use two cotton pads per day for toner, micellar water, or nail polish removal, you discard over 700 rounds per year. Multiply that across billions of people and the scale becomes alarming. How Many Cotton Rounds Are Thrown Away Each Year? Globally, billions of disposable cotton rounds are... Mehr lesen …
The Environmental Cost of Disposable Tissues
The Paper Product Nobody Questions Tissues are one of the most universally used disposable products in the world — and one of the least examined. We reach for them automatically: a runny nose, a smudged mascara, a spilled drop of coffee. Each tissue is used for seconds, often less, and discarded. At the individual level, the waste feels trivial. Scaled across billions of people, it is substantial. How Many Tissues Are Used Each Year? Global tissue paper production exceeds 40 million tonnes annually — a figure that has grown consistently... Mehr lesen …
Environmental Impact of Cotton Swabs
The Environmental Impact of Cotton Swabs: What the Numbers Actually Say
Billions of cotton swabs end up in landfill and oceans every year. Here is what the numbers actually say about the environmental cost of a single cotton swab. Mehr lesen …
Is Your Sexlife Eco-Friendly?
Is Your Sexlife Eco-Friendly?
Is your sex life eco-friendly? Well, that’s a question we might not ask ourselves that often, but the bedroom is potentially one overlooked area where we should pay some extra attention.... Mehr lesen …
Plastic Fantastic? The Dark Side of Plastic Pollution and How We Can Combat It
Plastic Fantastic? The Dark Side of Plastic Pollution and How We Can Combat It
Did you know that over 5 trillion pieces of plastic are floating in the world's oceans?By 2050, this number is expected to be quadrupled. You’ve probably heard the famous phrase,... Mehr lesen …
Advanced Tips To Reduce Waste
Advanced Tips To Reduce Waste
Zero waste can seem like a daunting topic. We hear about it on the news and on social media but it’s hard to know what we as individuals can do.... Mehr lesen …
Things That Cannot Be Recycled
Things That Cannot Be Recycled
Recycling is widely considered as one of the more effective ways to protect our environment. Governments, scientists, and environmentalists all tell us to do more of it. But why so?... Mehr lesen …
How To Compost In An Apartment: A Guide
How To Compost In An Apartment: A Guide
The sustainable living lifestyle has become increasingly popular recently, as more people realize the importance of limiting their environmental impact. It has led to more people getting involved in composting.... Mehr lesen …
Sustainable Events: What Are They & How You Achieve Them?
Sustainable Events: What Are They & How You Achieve Them?
Events are all around us. In our personal lives, this can be for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, or other important dates. Professionally it can entail meetings, conferences, and exhibitions, among other... Mehr lesen …
7 Zero-Waste Travel Products to Help the Earth
Zero Waste Travel: How Should You Organize Your Trip?
Traveling is one of life’s great joys. Whether it’s a cross-country train ride or a flight to an exotic locale, journeying to new places comes with anticipation and excitement. However,... Mehr lesen …
The Waste from Makeup Removal
The Waste from Makeup Removal — And What to Do About It
The average person who wears makeup daily uses 2–3 disposable cotton pads per session — roughly 730 single-use pads per year. Multiplied across the hundreds of millions of people who... Mehr lesen …
Eco travelling: An Easy to Follow Guide
Eco travelling: An Easy to Follow Guide
Seeing new parts of the world is one of life’s great joys. It gives us a chance to encounter new cultures, see new landscapes, and meet new people. However, as... Mehr lesen …
Zero Waste Makeup Options for Everyday Use
Zero Waste Makeup: A Practical Guide for Every Day
There is a lot to consider when thinking about our impact on the earth. Different actions will usually carry different weight.𐄷 Different on our personal lives and different weight on... Mehr lesen …
Facts About Paper Waste: 7 Ways To Reduce Your Waste
Facts About Paper Waste: 7 Ways To Reduce Your Waste
Wrapping paper, books, paintings, maps of the world. All of these items are made using paper. But for all their important use cases comes a footprint as well. A footprint... Mehr lesen …