Cotton swabs—popularly referred to under the brand name Q-tip—are minor aspects of our daily routine, but their impact is much more significant than you think.

We all know that single-use plastic has slowly become one of the biggest environmental problems of our generation. And at first, we might not think that cotton swabs play a major role in that, but they do, especially for our oceans and beaches.

This study on beach litter in Italy found that from tens of thousands of sample items removed from beaches, nearly 95% were plastic. But, here’s the kicker, over 30% of the plastic found were cotton bud sticks.

Not so small now, are they?

And though we shouldn’t take the results of one study and apply it to our various locales, it really helps put things into perspective.

The good news is that there are emerging solutions for this problem. Reusable Q-tips are now widely available in many areas, and more companies (a good example is this guide by Puratium on reusable Q-tips) are starting to innovate and create more sustainable and eco-friendly options.

To understand why reusable Q-tips are important, we must know why single-use cotton swabs should be avoided in the first place.

First off, they’re a hazard to marine sea creatures. You may have seen the popular photo of a tiny seahorse holding on to a cotton swab stick under the ocean. But its effects don’t stop at just one species.

Cotton swabs have also been found in the digestive tracts of seabirds and turtles, potentially causing internal damage. Plus, the plastic often used in Q-tips can absorb organic pollutants, making them even more toxic when ingested.

On top of that, single-use cotton swabs take a lot of energy and resources to make. If you consider that it’s made of plastic and cotton, there’s a lot that goes into making just one piece.

Plastic requires petrochemicals to make, and those are not at all sustainable. When released, they contribute to environmental pollution of the air, water, and soil. They may also contribute to dwindling biodiversity and the destruction of ecosystems.

That doesn’t even count the adverse health effects these chemicals have on the human body, especially for those constantly exposed to them.

Meanwhile, cotton is also an incredibly resource-intensive crop—requiring copious amounts of water and chemicals (pesticides, fertilizers, etc.) to produce.

Overall, it just takes a lot. And if you’re an avid user of cotton swabs and use it daily, it can add up to a significant environmental impact.

However, if you live in an area where Q-tip sticks are now made out of paper, you do have the option of composting them as cotton and paper are both compostable materials. This is not an option in all places, though, so keep that in mind as well.

Yes! Fortunately, there are now great reusable Q-tips on the market, that will help you avoid sending more waste to landfills and the potential consequences that come with it.

And we know what you’re thinking. Isn’t reusing your cotton swab kind of gross and unsanitary? Not at all! As long as you sanitize them well and store them properly, they shouldn’t interfere with proper hygiene and health.

There are different brands for reusable Q-tips today, but the original (and first) one is LastSwab. It’s available in various colors, and they offer it for different purposes like beauty or cleaning.

Since reusable Q-tips are relatively new, we need to make a couple of things clear for you to make a solid decision.

Just like any other Q-tip, reusable ones have a wide variety of uses. And no, they aren’t meant to clean ear wax from your inner ear canal, so you should stop doing that. Using Q-tips, reusable or not, is just going to push back more ear wax, and it’ll eventually accumulate and cause issues.

One positive about reusable Q-tips is that they’re available in different formats. For example, there is a version that is specifically designed for use in beauty products.

In most cases, the tips of reusable swabs are made from rubber, which is not as absorbent as cotton.

If you are using Q-tips for situations where you’d need absorbency, reusable ones will not be the best choice for you.

Additionally, you can’t use them to absorb clean-up fluids like Acetone for nail polish. Not only because they aren’t absorbent enough, but also because the material is not really built to withstand some chemicals, and using them that way could significantly shorten their life.

Health and hygiene should be a top priority, so it only makes sense that many are apprehensive about the sanitary value of reusing cotton swabs. But they are really easy to clean!

You can just use soap and water to clean them after every use. And if necessary, you can use a disinfectant like alcohol for additional sanitation.

While reusable cotton swabs are definitely more long-lasting than disposable ones, it is by no means the perfect eco-friendly alternative.

The LastSwab, for example, is still made out of plastic. So while you can recycle it assuming your local facility accepts mixed plastics (some do not), the production process is an entirely different issue.

You could recycle and dispose of plastic properly, but it still won’t erase the impact plastic production has on the environment.

That is a considerable downside, but you also need to weigh that against the process of making a thousand single-use cotton swabs. Unfortunately, there is no exact number as it isn’t really easy to measure the environmental impact of single-use swabs since they’re made of varying materials—plastic, paper, wood, cotton, etc.

However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give reusable cotton swabs a try! In a world dominated by single-use and convenience-first products, it’s always good to see more sustainable options.

At the end of the day, you know your consumption habits best and what you will use the reusable cotton swab for. Buying a reusable cotton swab is an excellent step towards a more sustainable way of life, but you should also consider how it fits into your life and routine.

Reusable cotton swabs are relatively new to the market. They’ve still got a lot to improve on, and we still haven’t seen their full potential.

We do think they’re moving in the right direction, though! Moving past disposable and using reusable items is a small thing, but it helps us become more conscious of our consumption habits.

So should you use reusable Q-tips? It depends entirely on you. If you don’t use cotton swabs all that much, then you might not even need a reusable one at all. There are plenty of ways you can manage without them.

But if you use them often and buying other sustainable options, e.g., swabs made of organic bamboo and cotton, don’t cut it out for you, then reusable ones are worth the try!