Zero Waste Bathroom Essentials

The bathroom is a major culprit of household waste, following closely behind the kitchen. Bathroom products are often marketed in a way that uses enhanced hygiene and body care to attract consumers, often disregarding the wastefulness of the packaging. If you consider some common bathroom items like toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, facial cleansers, etc., they almost always come in plastic containers. We've given 3 zero-waste bathroom products a try and now feel much better about carrying out our daily hygienic routines without compromising the health of our planet. Check them out below! ↓

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RECYCLED TOILET PAPER

Toilet paper use seems harmless at first glance because paper breaks down relatively quickly over time compared to plastic. The issue isn't necessarily with how it decomposes, but rather 1) the way its made and 2) the manner in which it's overused.

It's estimated that across the globe, about 27,000 trees are flushed down the drain every single day. This amounts to 1-2 rolls of toilet paper on average per person per week.

To make matters worse, toilet paper is typically made from what are called "virgin trees". You may have heard these referred to as "old-growth forests". Old-growth forests are extremely rich in biodiversity, so they are often at the forefront of forest preservation projects. Not to mention that they provide habitats to a wide variety of species that otherwise could be endangered. Consider this alternative to traditionally made toilet paper by Who Gives a Crap.

What we love about Who Gives a Crap:

• Made with recycled paper instead of trees

• Wrapped in fun (& recyclable) paper...we like to use the wrapping paper for shipping packages

• Also sells forest friendly tissues & paper towels

• 50% of the profits are donated to building toilets around the world

Did you know that more people in the world have mobile phones than toilets? Think about that next time you're flushing in excess...

Bio-tube deodorant

The main reason why deodorant is wasteful is that each part of the tube (the cap, the body, and the roller) are all made from different types and combinations of plastic, making it tough to tell if your local recycler accepts those materials. According to Earth 911, items that aren’t accepted creates what’s called “recycling contamination”, which costs cities big bucks and can ruin an entire load of completely recyclable material. Feel more confident about what you’re throwing in the recycling bin by switching to a bio-tube deodorant made from cardboard! American Provenance mindfully packages their all-natural deodorant in biodegradable tubes. For easy use, the tube has been designed much like a PushPop, where you simply push the bottom of the tube to expose more deodorant. Additional scents include lavender, lemongrass, spearmint, patchouli, and unscented. There are many other companies who are making bio-tube deodorant, so feel free to experiment and find a brand that fits your personal needs! *DIY coming soon* :)

Reusable q-tips

Q-tips are a huge contributor to bathroom waste...and they don’t biodegrade, so guess where they end up? You got it...landfills and oceans.

Humans have delivered more than 5.2 trillion pieces of plastic waste to the ocean, putting no end to the havoc for the creatures that live there...

Cotton swabs are by no means the only problem...but they do rank pretty high. And to what end? We really don’t even need them! But if you aren’t quite ready to give them up as part of your care routine, reusable q-tips are a great alternative. Package Free reusable ear swabs can be used up to 1,000 times and are easily cleaned by soap and water. An added plus...even the case is biodegradable! Package Free is also a great resource for other zero waste essentials!

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