Are Your Tattoos Ruining the Planet?

Did you know that most plastic DOES NOT degrade? And even plastics that do such as LEXAN take a good long while to blend back into the earth. What does that have to do with your tattoo? A lot. Some shops use disposable tubes, which are thrown away after only ONE USE. Shops couldn't use them again if they tried BECAUSE Oregon only allows SINGLE USE of disposables tubes. These wasteful tubes stack-up fast. Think about it. Most tattoos require at least TWO TUBES: one for lining , the other for shading. That's piles of tubes at the end of the day.

So what's the solution? Unfortunately, in Oregon, some of the plastic waste is inevitable. The Oregon Health Licensing Agency for the most part, requires tattoo artists to dispose of anything that touches the skin during the tattoo procedure. This is, of course is for public safety: to prevent the spread of disease through cross contamination. BUT Oregon ALSO ALLOWS the use of REUSABLE, STAINLESS STEEL TUBES!!! These tubes can be used over and over again BECAUSE they can be STERILIZED with an AUTOCLAVE.

Ask your tattoo artist whether he uses disposable tubes or not. If he uses disposables, DISPOSE of HIM or HER.



Reusable tubes are SAFE and SANITARY. They are sterilized the same way dentists sterilize their mouth mirrors and periodontal probes. Oregon also requires that the tubes be sterilized with Indicator Tape, this tape changes color when the critical temperature has been reached for a prolonged period. The color changing tape ensures that all pathogens, spores, and anything else on or in the tubes has been completely destroyed.