Chloe Hamard - Blogger

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5 zero-waste bathroom swaps for beginners | Sustainability Newbie

Following on a previous post about making your bathroom more sustainable, I’m diving a bit deeper on this topic and sharing with you 5 easy zero-waste bathroom swaps to start your sustainability journey.

Reducing your bathroom waste in a way that works for you.

Plastic packaging, face wipes, cotton pads… our bathrooms produce much more waste than we think and despite our efforts, a lot of plastic products are still not widely recycled and end up in landfill.

I really want to insist on the fact that I am not 100% perfect when it comes to zero waste and sustainability but I strongly believe that if we all makes small changes, we can collectively make a big difference.

You don’t have to immediately adopt the 5 zero-waste swaps I’m talking about in this post, but it might inspire you to try and implement one of them :)

5 zero-waste bathroom swaps for beginners

Swap disposable wipes & cotton pads for reusable ones

To me, this was the easiest zero-waste swaps to start: I stopped buying makeup-removing wipes and cotton pads (that were disposable AND housed in plastic packaging).

I simply use washable face cloths and pads and they do an amazing job.

Here are a few ideas:

I suggest having a look on WeEarthLondon, they have many reusable options from round pads to wipes and cloths.

I have these face cloths from Organic Pharmacy as well as a bamboo cotton pad set which I absolutely love.

Swap shampoo in plastic bottles for a solid shampoo bar

I have been gifted some Ksoni shampoos which are in recyclable, aluminium can. But when I’m not using those, I am choosing an even more low-waste option: a shampoo bar.

I wasn’t sure if it was going to have the same effect as normal liquid shampoo, but it absolutely does. It does take a little while to foam but it leaves my hair clean, soft and I don’t need to wash it more often!

Some shampoo bars:

WeEarthLondon have a great selection of solid shampoo and conditioners from several brands.

I am currently using bars from Faith in Nature
Some brands such as Foamie have solid shampoos for dry or damaged hair
You can even buy conditioner bars!

Swap your plastic toothbrush for a bamboo one

Toothbrushes are not recyclable and are pretty much guaranteed to end up in landfill. Bamboo toothbrushes are a more sustainable option as they are biodegradable and compostable. If you choose a brush with nylon bristles, ensure to dispose of them separately as they are not biodegradable.

I would highly recommend checking out this one which comes with a handy case, perfect to travel.

Swap your disposable razor for a long-lasting one

A safety razor might be more expensive but you’ll use it for much longer than a disposable one. Plus, the blades are widely recycled.

If you’d like to try, this plastic-free safety razor from UpCircle Beauty has a lot of great reviews. It comes in with two blades and you can also buy a refill pack of blades separately. Plus, you can send your old blades back and the brand will recycle them!

Swap your supermarket toilet paper for a sustainable one

Buying toilet paper that is not wrapped in plastic is already a great swap! If you want to take a step further, look for toilet paper made of recycled materials or bamboo.

My favourite option is the Ecoleaf toilet paper: it is made in the UK from recycled fibre and comes in compostable wrap!

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