Published by Programme B
Save for the kitchen; the bathroom is another area of the house that produces a lot of waste. Most bathroom products are designed to be conveniently disposable, and their packing often contains some plastic.
Not just that, but we buy numerous of these items because marketers have convinced us that they are necessary to our hygiene, health, and even happiness.
While this might be true for some, it’s also true that you can enjoy your favorite products responsibly. So how do you adopt a zero-waste bathroom? Here are some pointers.
Ditch Disposable Sanitary Towels
Tampons and sanitary towels at times contain chemicals and fibres that can be left inside you or on your skin. Some people even get skin irritation from using sanitary towels. You can ditch these for reusable period cups or even period panties. Here is a complete period panties DIY guide.
Rethink your Toothbrush Options
Disposable plastic toothbrushes end up in landfills, where they remain indefinitely. At times, they end up in oceans, where they disrupt marine life. Numerous green stores today sell bamboo toothbrushes with plant-based bristles. Once you decide to replace it, you can throw the entire thing into the compost.
Q-tips
Typical q-tips are made from plastic sticks and are packaged in a plastic casing. You can switch these out for q-tips with wooden sticks. If you can also find these packed in paper, it would make the entire used q-tip biodegradable.
Organic Soaps
Some of the soaps, shampoos, and body washes we use contain harsh chemicals that are harmful to the environment. Their plastic packaging only compounds the problem.
Start by looking for organic body and hair washes from organic stores and whole foods. Often, you will find that some of these stores can also do refills. Here, you can buy a glass bottle and go for refills occasionally. This avoids a scenario where you buy body washes in plastic bottles and discard them once the product is finished.
You can also forego store-bought products and use readily available compounds in your house. For example, baking soda and apple cider vinegar are great for washing and conditioning the hair.
Get reusable Face Rounds
Rounds made from pure cotton can be composted. However, the plastic packaging they come in cannot be composted.
You can go about this in two ways. The first is to buy reusable cotton rounds that you can wash and clean again and again. The second is to buy cotton rounds that are housed in biodegradable packaging.
Have a Composite Bucket On Hand
Trade-in a waste paper bucket for a compost bucket in your bathroom. Tissue, nail clippings, and hair can all be composted. Having a compost bucket conveniently located in your bathroom will encourage you to use it.
The idea of zero waste seems enormous from the face of it. It actually isn’t. All you need to do is take small steps towards minimizing your waste. The more you do it, the more you will want to do it.
Photo by Kate Gundareva from Pexels