5 eco switches for your bathroom
While our bathrooms can be a haven for relaxation, they can also be a disaster zone when it comes to plastic waste.
Many of us are wising up to the various ways we can live more sustainably, whether it’s buying local, eating less meat or cycling instead of taking the car. But an area where there’s big potential for boosting our green credentials, is within our bathrooms and beauty routines.
When you consider the number of plastic toothbrushes, body wash bottles, make-up bits and period products one person can get through in a year — which unless recycled can take over 400 years to decompose — it’s no wonder our current landfill situation is beyond dire.
Incredibly, only 50% of the packaging from our bathroom products is ever recycled (versus 90% of that in our kitchens), so there’s clearly a lot more we can be doing.
Four in 10 Brits confess to not regularly recycling bathroom items, which equates to 30,000 tonnes of recyclable bathroom items winding up in landfill every year. Meanwhile millions of us continue to buy personal care products that simply aren’t designed for the circular economy.
With that in mind, here are 5 planet-friendly bathroom swaps you might want to consider…
Buy into bamboo toothbrushes
To dispose of your bamboo toothbrush correctly, remove the bristles with pliers before adding to the compost heap.
Bamboo toothbrushes are an excellent starting point for phasing out bathroom plastic. Over 1 billion plastic toothbrushes are thrown away every year in the US alone; in the UK, around 264 million. Every toothbrush that’s been produced since the 1930s still exists on the planet - somewhere. A sobering thought.
Plastic toothbrushes take around 500 years to decompose. Made from polypropylene plastic and nylon, they gradually breakdown into smaller plastic pieces, which often end up in our waterways and oceans.
By opting for toothbrushes made with 100% biodegradable bamboo we can make a real difference to our impact (bear in mind the average person uses 300 toothbrushes in their lifetime!). The bamboo handles can decompose within 6 months in a home composting bin; in an industrial composter, it’s as little as a few weeks.
The average person uses 300 toothbrushes in their lifetime
OTHER things you can do: 1. Choose a brush with a reusable handle. 2. Write to a company and ask them to develop plastic-free options.
2. Shampoo and body bars help you ditch the plastic.
Image: Wild Sage + Co.
Bottles of body wash, shampoo and conditioner tend to be the high-turnover items in most bathrooms, and equate to large volumes of plastic per household. Many of the mainstream brands sold in supermarkets also harbour dubious chemicals, such as parabens, PEGs and synthetic fragrances. Switching to body and haircare bars that use significantly fewer, and often natural and organic ingredients, is a great way of lowering both your plastic waste and toxin load.
And worth noting: Soap and shampoo bars have come a long way in the past 10 or 15 years. The options are getting better all the time. Thanks to the burgeoning clean beauty market, many brands have expanded their ranges to accommodate various skin types and hair needs.
Be prepared to trial a few different bars before landing on the perfect ones for you. Some of the ethical guide’s favourites include Wild Sage + Co, Bean and Boy, Friendly Soap, Amorphous Soaps and Dr. Bronner’s.
3. Safety razors can last a seriously long time.
Around 5.5 million people in the UK were using disposable plastic razors in 2018, according to research, and in the US, a whopping 163 million. Most of these are now sitting in landfill due to their mixed materials and dangerous blades, which makes them (as well as much of their plastic outer shell packaging) difficult to recycle. As the years roll on, millions upon millions more are piling up.
A great eco alternative is a metal safety razor - an investment well worth making because it can last you decades. Its replacement blades come at a much lower cost to both you and the planet and as they’re made of steel, are fully recyclable. Safety razors are also gentler on sensitive skin, with fewer blades to cause less irritation. Popular options include rose gold and bamboo handled razors from Bambaw and 8.7 Living.
Razor fact: Women's disposable razors cost more than men's at most supermarkets, despite performing the same function. Just one example of the many types of toiletries (and beauty services) that women pay more for because of their gender. Angry much?
4. Reusable period products are the way of the future.
Many don’t realise how much plastic is used in menstrual pads; a big-brand pack of 14 pads contains the same amount of plastic as 5 carrier bags. 200,000 tonnes of menstrual waste goes to landfill each year in the UK, and period products are currently the 5th most common item found on European beaches, more widespread than single-use straws, coffee cups and cutlery.
Read our article on reasons to try reusable period products — it’s a must-read!
Image source: Citytosea.org.uk - A recent UK survey revealed that people who haven’t switched to #PlasticFreePeriods say that their main barrier was the lack of plastic-free products where they shop.
Planet-friendly swaps include period pants, reusable pads or the menstrual cup. There’s also the option of buying plastic-free tampons and pads.
Disappointingly, 4 of the 9 main UK retailers don’t stock a single plastic-free period product on their shelves, so we can’t always get access to the eco friendlier option from our local supermarkets. Saving up and buying reusables online is therefore a smart way to go. Mondays is a great brand offering 100% organic cotton period products, delivered free to your door, via a subscription service. OrganiCup, Lunette and the Mooncup are popular menstrual cup options, and for reusable period-proof pants, check out ModiBodi (which I discovered when living in Australia and LOVE) or Thinx (try the Super Hiphugger).
5. Coconut oil is a bathroom hero — it can even clean your teeth.
It may be last on the list but this eco switch is a biggie. Pure 100% organic coconut oil is a magnificent thing: rich in fatty acids with natural antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties, it can take the place of multiple products in the bathroom and generally outperform them all.
Use it as a facial cleanser, body moisturiser, hair mask, frizz tamer, lip balm, eye cream, skin primer, bath oil (great for kids’ delicate skin), shaving balm, mouthwash (oil pulling… Ecosia it!), hand and foot cream, the list could go on. I can’t understand why an international day of celebration for this natural wonder hasn’t yet been declared.
The facial cleanser is a personal fave. It’s now been years since I’ve bought any bottled face-wash, micellar water, disposable wipes or cotton rounds; there’s simply no need for any of it. Even those with acne-prone skin have reported noticeable improvements in skin health since switching to a simple coconut oil cleanse.
Apply coconut oil over your make up, let it melt in, and with a very warm muslin washcloth wipe it away. I sometimes do a second wash with water.
Image from UK Etsy store HandmadeHavenSoaps which sells vegan organic soaps and sustainable beauty linens.
Don’t forget Etsy is a great place for finding local sellers of things like muslin cloths, small jute baskets for storage, and other bathroom accessories to support your low waste living, often at lower cost than the bigger eco-stores. Supporting small, local businesses at any opportunity always feels so good.
Top tips
A coconut fibre soap rest costs very little and will keep your soap clean and dry in between uses, helping it last longer.
Get a second bin in your bathroom for recycling. This can take the form of a hanging bag over the back of the door, to save on space.
Try natural cleaners for day-to-day toilet, sink and bath cleaning - just mix water, white wine vinegar and a few drops of tea tree, eucalyptus or lemon essential oil in a spray bottle.