Aluminum foil is easy enough to phase out of the kitchen. Replace plastic grocery sacks with sturdy reusable bags. But you don’t get to choose the plastics that come with your favorite foods and products.

Our local recycling facilities accept #1 and #2 plastics with “neck and shoulders.” But pharmacy prescription bottles lack shoulders, and most are #5 plastic or unmarked. I felt guilty about tossing them, so I squirreled them away in the pantry. That was Plan A. When they took over an entire shelf, it was time to move to Plan B.

The web is full of ideas for reusing prescription bottles. A few that stood out to me:

• Organize office supplies (paper clips, thumb tacks);
• Store coins for the car wash or laundromat;
• Organize craft supplies;
• Sort tiny hardware (nuts, bolts, washers);
• Crafts (make sure kids understand what’s a toy and what isn’t);
• Mini first-aid kit;
• Store plastic grocery sacks in purse or vehicle glove compartment.

But most of us only have so many thumbtacks and paper clips. It’s true that some missions and humanitarian groups have occasionally accepted pill bottle and medication donations, but a good long-term solution must involve reducing the amount of non-recyclable plastic that come into our homes.

We switched from a mail-order pharmacy to a local one that will package a several-month supply in one bottle. Be aware, though, that using insurance may affect the amount of medication that can be dispensed at one time.

How do you handle non-recyclables? Do you have more ideas for prescription bottles?

Both marketing and medical claims can lead us to make food choices that aren’t really as smart or healthy as we think, Van Dusen says.

For example: Sara Lee recently agreed to clarify that its “Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White Bread” contains 30 percent whole grain. New labeling will state “that two slices of its bread have 10 grams of whole grain, equalling just under a fifth of the USDA’s recommended amount,” according to FoodNavigatorUSA, which reports on food industry news.

The American Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) had charged the bread’s labeling suggested it contained more whole grain, and the organization threatened last year to sue. Current U.S. guidelines do not require products contain 100 percent whole grain to use FDA whole grain health claims on the label.

The Forbes article also points out vulnerabilities elsewhere, including some light and low-fat products and health claims based indirectly on nutrient roles, and offers tips for making healthy choices at the supermarket. Read more at Forbes.com. You can post your own savvy-shopping tips in the article’s comments section.

I like its simple ingredients list: saponified olive oil, water, green tea, sodium chloride, fragrance. I like that it doesn’t dry my skin, nor does it feel slimy or clog my pores, either.

And I like that my bar soap-loving, natural products-wary husband likes it. It cleans to his satisfaction and has a pleasant, mild scent that is gender-neutral.

I can’t tell you my skin changed radically when I started using this soap, but I can tell you I feel better about slathering this stuff on my skin on nearly 365 days out of the year. I value the peace of mind it gives me, all the while working as well as any other soap.

This soap does tend to get soft when wet, so store it where it won’t sit in water, like a slotted soap dish.

Read Kiss My Face’s summary of olive oil’s benefits on the company’s website.

Buy Kiss My Face Olive & Green Tea Soap at Amazon.com, currently $19.06 for eight 8-ounce bars. I’ve also found Kiss My Face soaps at my local natural foods store, Ben Franklin, and Safeway.

Charcoal’s advocates say tree products can be carbon neutral and replenishable, and the sawdust that goes into briquettes might otherwise go to waste. But additives, particulate emissions, production energy usage, and disposal issues can offset those benefits.

In the end, wrote Koerner, it comes down more to personal preferences and making good choices rather than one easy answer. Do you agree? A recent article in the Portland Tribune called gas “safe, easy to transport and one of the cleanest-burning fossil fuels,” and, after comparing gas and charcoal on several fronts, gave the thumbs up to gas. Which do you use: gas or charcoal?

If your heart is set on charcoal, Koerner recommends starting with an additive-free charcoal made from sustainably-harvested wood and avoiding lighter fluid in favor of a chimney starter.

To read more, including the rest of Koerner’s tips and recommendations, checkout Slate’s “The Great Barbecue Debate.” And for a detailed comparison of charcoal and gas, read the Portland Tribune’s “Grill this: gas or charcoal?”

Photo: morgueFile/Ladyheart

The Wall Street Journal’s recently-published list of “Five Green Goods Not Worth the Added Green,” is a good starting place for consumers weary of “greenwashing” and wary of products that simply don’t make a difference. The Journal reminds readers that “green” groceries can cost more, but the suggestions offered by Kimberly Stewart, author of Eating Between the Lines: The Supermarket Shopper’s Guide to the Truth Behind Food Labels, are all about savvy label-reading.

Among Stewart’s recommendations: “Don’t pay extra for chicken just because it has a ‘hormone-free’ sticker on the package. The Food and Drug Administration already requires [poultry, pork, and eggs] to be hormone free.”

Click on the article link above to read the rest of the list, covering everything from wine and seafood to televisions.

Photo: Flickr member The Consumerist, licensed under Creative Commons