There’s an increasing trend in our society that Amy and I refer to as the Bioré effect. Have you ever noticed that more and more things are being designed for a single use? In approximate chronological order:

• Wet wipes (the original?)
• Oxy anti-acne face wipe pads
• Swiffers and knockoffs thereof
• Daily facial cloths (pre-loaded with Oil of Olay or somesuch skin care product)
• Single-use dishcloths (pre-l0adedwith soap)
• Single-use toilet bowl brushes
• And of course, Bioré Strips

The Bioré Effect isn’t just about disposability, though. Just throwing something away isn’t that exciting; we’ve had paper towels for a long time, and toilet paper (however primitive) a good deal longer.

No, the crux of the Bioré Effect is that you get to look at all the gunk you just wiped up with the said disposable product, whether it’s from your floor, your face, your toilet, or your dishes. There is a certain satisfaction in knowing that your [insert surface here] is that much less dirty than before. If the product enhances this sensation - say, by being unnecessarily bleached white before being packaged and sold, to increase the contrast between itself and your blackheads or floor grime - all the better for repeat sales.

I refuse to be controlled by the Bioré Effect. Some things should be disposable (like toilet paper), but how far as a society are we going to take this? Disposable shower stalls, so you don’t have to deal with that nasty soap buildup? Single-use stovetops, so you never have to scrub?

I think elbow grease and common sense can do a lot to help us reduce the environmental harm that the Bioré Effect will lead to if it continues unabated. Let’s try to minimize what we throw out, and send the message to consumer products companies that we don’t want junk that is disposable for no good reason.