Along with the kitchen, the bathroom is probably one of the key rooms in the house where we can create the most waste.
If you go into any bathroom, it seems to be full of brightly coloured toxic plastic items like toothbrushes and hairbrushes, disposable items like razors and cotton pads and then there’s toilet paper.
All that waste before we’ve even started thinking about our water waste or cosmetic products. But let’s just tackle one thing at a time.
There are some really simple, and budget-friendly, zero waste bathroom swaps you can make, which we have listed below.
Try to implement these on a one-in-one-out basis to reduce the number of products you use overall, and retrain your brain to a more minimalist approach.
Toothbrush
It’s estimated that the average person uses 300 toothbrushes a year. That equates to billions of toothbrushes lying in landfills and oceans which never break down.
Swap your plastic toothbrush for a brush made from biodegradable natural fibres like bamboo instead. Even if you’re a lover of the electric tooth, there are some eco-friendly bamboo electric toothbrush heads out there.
Cotton Pads & Buds
Another easy swap you can make is to ditch the face wipes and cotton pads and swap to eco-friendly, sustainable cotton pads and buds.
We use these reusable pads every day and think they are more luxurious and effective than regular cotton pads. Just pop them in the washing machine when you’re done and they’re good as new (even after that green face mask we’ve just applied!).
Hairbrush / Comb
Another plastic product that can be easily swapped for natural material alternatives is your hairbrush or comb.
A plastic-free bamboo bristle hairbrush will add a lovely natural tone sat on your bathroom shelf and can also improve the condition of your hair and scalp. There’s plenty of options out there that are available in a few different sizes for the needs of every mane.
Soap & Shampoo
Somewhere between our parents’ generation and the present day, soap got a really bad reputation. It’s probably because when you imagine soap you think of horrible mass-produced bars that seem to take forever to lather up and do absolutely nothing for you except dry your skin to the bone. Well, not any more people!
If you’ve got a pump bottle sitting in your shower, make it your last and put ‘plastic-free soap’ on your shopping list. There are some fantastic, and eco-friendly, soap and shampoo bars which are nourishing, cleansing, free from any nasties and include zero-waste packaging, like our Vesica Shampoo Bars.
Razor
If there’s one thing we recommend you do this year, it’s to stop throwing away a plastic disposable razor. Instead, you can significantly reduce your environmental impact (and take it easier on your skin!) with sustainable shaving tools. By making the switch to safety razors that remain durable over time, you’ll cut down on your razor and refill usage for years to come. Pair that with sustainable shaving oils or bars, and both Mother Earth and your skin will thank you in the long run.
Toilet Paper
Toilet paper is full of chemicals that are terrible for our water systems, but there are some really easy swaps you can make. Instead, choose tree-free alternatives like bamboo toilet paper or 100% recycled paper for your bathroom.
Recycled toilet paper is absolutely better for the environment when you consider the amount of paper that is re-used to make the toilet paper. It also takes less water and energy than making paper from timber. Plus, it creates less pollution.
Cleaning Products
Not only are your bathroom cleaning products full of toxic chemicals harmful to our waterways, oceans and ourselves but they also usually come in chemically coloured plastic packaging.
One of the easiest, and cheapest, ways to cut this waste is to go all-natural and use a warm water and white vinegar (1:1) solution in a glass spray bottle or buy non-toxic eco cleaners.
How zero waste is your bathroom? Head to our blog HERE for more at zero waste home ideas.
