Sustainable Swaps: Little ways to protect our planet

HotPoc. Toasty hands without the guilt of single use plastics. Admittedly I hadn’t heard of HotPoc until I was surprised with some for Christmas. HotPoc offer an eco-friendly alternative to disposable hand warmers. This is fantastic news for us outdoor folk as I know so many of us are trying to cut down on single use plastic and waste in the outdoors.  A conventional hand warmer contains 20g of activated charcoal per warmer, when you consider HotPoc’s life span is up to 100 uses, you’ve saved 4kg of activated charcoal per pair, not to mention 200 of the plastic sleeves they come in!

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These pocket sized pouches contain a liquid made up of water and sodium acetate (salt), and when ‘activated’ by snapping a small metal disk, the liquid crystallizes to form a toasty warm hand hug.

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I’ve found that the HotPoc can hold heat for up to an hour, which can turn a bad day into a good one, but in super cold temperatures it lasts a little less if exposed directly to the air. I haven’t needed to, but I can see the HotPoc being a very good solution to keeping your phone battery alive. They have already thought of this and have a cozy little sleeping bag option!

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Once the HotPoc has cooled into a solid state, you simply chuck in (carefully) into a pan of boiling water until it is a liquid again. Simples.

What happens after 100 uses. Well, because the inside liquid is a concentrated form of ‘salty water’ it is safe to cut open and pour down this sink.

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Whether you are trying to recover from hot aches (screaming barfies as the North Americans lovingly name them), are a sufferer of Raynaud’s, or want a way to keep your phone from dying in the cold, HotPoc ‘s got you covered.