Tips For A Low Waste, Plastic-Free Bathroom
Looking to go low waste in the bathroom? Ditch single-use plastic and replace with products that use eco-friendly packaging and refillable options. With some simple sustainable swaps, you can cut down on plastic waste in the bathroom and reduce the amount of plastic polluting our environment.
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From disposable razors to shower gel containers to plastic toothbrushes, our bathrooms are overflowing with plastic. While it may seem hard to part with your favorite personal care products, there are sustainable options on the market that are just as good, if not better than what you’re already using. You really can reduce your plastic footprint in the bathroom by making eco-friendly purchases.
It can take up to 1,000 years for plastic to degrade. The less plastic we use and throw away now, the less plastic will crowd our landfills and pollute our environment in the future.
No matter how conscientious we are at recycling, only 9% of the world’s plastic gets recycled. That’s a pretty depressing statistic. And 90% of the debris floating on the ocean’s surface is plastic. All those cute seals and dolphins and penguins can get entangled in or ingest the plastic that we throw away.
With a wide range of buying options now available, we can choose to be more conscientious consumers and reduce our plastic waste. It’s up to us to stop using and throwing away so much plastic.
Below are all the essentials you’ll need for transitioning to an eco-friendly bathroom, minimizing plastic waste and working towards a more sustainable personal care routine.
How many plastic toothbrushes, plastic floss containers and plastic toothpaste tubes have you thrown away in your lifetime? Probably a lot! It’s estimated that 1 billion toothbrushes are used and dumped in landfills every year just in the United States. Plastic can take up to a thousand years to decompose, so that’s a lot of plastic toothbrushes sitting in landfills.
There are some great eco-friendly dental products on the market today. I’ve recently switched out my brand of floss, and I’m loving my new sustainable brand of floss (my dad was a dentist, so I can get a little over-enthusiastic about dental care). By changing up your dental routine with more eco-friendly alternatives, like using a bamboo toothbrush and mouthwash tablets, you can make a world of difference in the amount of plastic waste dumped in landfills.
Eco-Friendly Dental Products
David’s Natural Toothpaste– David’s uses naturally sourced & naturally derived ingredients.
Sustainable Advantage: 100% recyclable metal tubes with a metal key that inserts over the end of the tube to allow you to get all the paste possible from each tube. Completely empty tubes can be recycled.
Brush with Bamboo Organic Bamboo Toothbrush– An eco-friendly alternative to plastic.
Sustainable Advantage: The bamboo handle of this toothbrush can be composted and the bristles can be recycled.
Bite Toothpaste Bits– These naturally whitening fresh mint toothpaste bits will keep your teeth healthy and our oceans clean. These toothpaste bits are made with clean, vegan-friendly ingredients.
Sustainable Advantage: The bits come in a refillable glass jar and the refills come in a compostable package.
Wellnesse Tongue Scraper– tongue scraping is an essential for getting rid of bad breath.
Sustainable Advantage: Copper will not rust and will last a lifetime.
Georganics Mineral Toothpaste– No Plastic tube necessary to get sparkly white teeth!
Sustainable Advantage: A dental paste that comes in a glass jar.
Dr. Ginger’s Mouthwash Tablets– Bite, sip, and swish for a clean and fresh mouth.
Sustainable Advantage: Waterless tablets are packed in a recyclable tin.
Etee Waxed Silk Floss– PFAS-free dental floss that’s compostable and refillable.
Sustainable Advantage: Compostable silk floss that comes in a glass tube. Refills come in compostable packaging.
Tubes of mascara, lip gloss containers, eyeshadow palettes—the plastic in your beauty routine can add up quickly. Cosmetic brands are starting to offer sustainable packaging, recycling and refillable compacts. I have products from most of the brands below and am totally impressed with the quality. The companies I’ve listed also offer products that are free from endocrine-disrupting chemicals and parabens.
Eco-Friendly Makeup Brands
Elate Cosmetics– Magnetic sustainably sourced bamboo palettes can be reused and refilled with metal tins again and again. Refills and pressed eyecolors come in seed paper envelopes that can then be planted in your garden to sprout wildflowers. The products ship in recycled content and contain recyclable shipping materials.
Sustainable Advantage: Over 75% of their packaging is reusable, recyclable or plantable (they’re working on the other 25%), and all of their packaging can be returned for free, so they can refill it or recycle it for you.
Axiology– A plastic-free, vegan beauty company that specializes in balmies, which are makeup crayons that have multiple uses, from lip to kid.
Sustainable Advantage– The multi-use balmies are 100% zero waste. The lipstick and lip crayon tubes are made from 50% post-consumer recycled plastic, and the boxes handmade from recycled trash by a women’s cooperative in Bali.
RMS Beauty– I love RMS Living Luminizer and their glass eyeshadow tubs. They meticulously source active clean ingredients that nourish the skin while enhancing one’s natural beauty.
Sustainable Advantage– Environmentally minded and responsible in ingredient selection and manufacturing. The packaging for RMS Beauty products is minimal, recyclable or reusable.
Zao Organics– This French cosmetics brand manufactures 100% natural origin sustainably crafted products with a low carbon footprint, consciously contributing to our planet’s conservation.
Sustainable Advantage– The packaging is made from controlled harvested bamboo with an innovative refill system that increases sustainability and cost-effectiveness.
Personal care in the bathroom is a broad category, encompassing everything from the products in your shower to the products you use to shave to all the items involved with grooming.
- Shower: Plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash are big culprits when it comes to plastic waste. The best way to reduce plastic waste is by switching to bars. I’ve always been a fan of bar soap, but shampoo and conditioner in plastic containers are hard ones to give up. If using bar shampoo and conditioner just isn’t your thing, Plaine Products offers refillable stainless steel containers of shampoo and conditioner and other personal care products that you ship back through a subscription service.
- Shave: Stop buying plastic disposable razors and switch to a safety razor like the Leaf Razor. You can get a lot of shaves from one blade, and you don’t ever have to dispose of the stainless steel handle. Aerosol shaving cream may be hard to recycle, so replace this type of can with shaving soap that suds into a moisturizing lather- Jeremy likes Badger Shaving Soap.
- Grooming: Plastic hairbrushes, plastic tubes of deodorant, plastic hair products and lip balm tubes—all of these grooming items pile up in landfills. I love the Meow Meow Tweet brand for sustainable personal care products. The deodorant and lip balm come in cardboard containers, and the grapefruit deodorant was one of the top picks from my natural deodorant post. Phase out plastic hairbrushes and combs with sandalwood and choose hair care products like dry shampoo and styling cream in glass or cardboard containers.
Eco-Friendly Personal Care Products
Odacite 552M Soap Free Shampoo Bar– Natural, salon-quality soap-free shampoo bar with a thick & restorative lather that preserves the comfort and purity of the scalp for deeply repaired, manageable hair full of volume.
Sustainable Advantage– Waterless shampoo has no plastic packaging and a smaller carbon footprint than their liquid counterparts.
Hibar Soothe Solid Conditioner Bar– A plastic-free, soap-free solid conditioner bar formulated with a concentrated formula with a blend of gentle ingredients that deliver beautifully soft, silky and manageable hair.
Sustainable Advantage– Hibar has eliminated over 4.5 million plastic bottles—and saved over 800,000 gallons of water with their shampoo bars, conditioner bars and face wash bars.
Boar Bristle Hair Brush– Brush your hair sustainably.
Sustainable Advantage– Made of biodegradable materials.
Wellnesse Dry Shampoo– Instantly refreshes hair in a plastic-free bottle.
Sustainable Advantage– Wellnesse is a certified B-corp with a philosophy that all of their products are good for you and good for the planet. This dry shampoo is packaged in a paperboard tube.
Onedor Natural Sandalwood Comb Set– Comb your hair sustainably.
Sustainable Advantage– Made of biodegradable materials.
Badger Shave Soap– A soothing, moisturizing shaving soap bar with a luxurious lather to reduce irritation and improve razor glide.
Sustainable Advantage– This waterless shaving bar has no plastic packaging and a smaller carbon footprint than their plastic packaged counterparts.
Leaf Razor– A plastic-free razor with a pivoting head.
Sustainable Advantage– Leaf Shave users will keep 3+ million disposable plastic razors out of landfill this year. They package and ship plastic-free and measure, record and offset the carbon footprint of their organization. They also financially support climate action non-profits.
Chagrin Valley Honey Butter Soap– Swap body wash for a sustainable bar of soap.
Sustainable Advantage– Chagrin Valley has a commitment to decrease their impact on climate change, including their packaging, factory and biodegradable ingredients.
Amazerbath Bamboo Wood Soap Dish– A sustainable soap holder.
Sustainable Advantage– Made of renewable and biodegradable materials.
Poppy & Pout Lip Balm– My favorite sustainable lip balm!
Sustainable Advantage– All-natural lip balms hand poured into recyclable cardboard tubes.
Plaine Products Shampoo & Conditioner
Sustainable Advantage– Reduce single use plastic with Plaine Products recyclable aluminum bottles. If you subscribe, you rinse and send back the empty bottles and you’ll get a refill to replace the empty.
Meow Meow Tweet Deodorant– All-natural deodorant in a compostable tube.
Sustainable Advantage– All of their packaging breaks down naturally, and they manufacture with circular systems of reuse that eliminate waste entirely.
Greenzla Reusable Makeup Remover Pads– Reuse these makeup remover pads again and again- just toss them in the washing machine.
Sustainable Advantage– Made with renewable bamboo & organic cotton.
Organic Cotton Swabs With Biodegradable Natural Bamboo Handle– These cotton swabs don’t contain plastic- they have handles made with renewable bamboo.
Sustainable Advantage– Made with sustainable materials and each swab is compostable.
Bottles of bathroom cleaner are another source of plastic waste in the bathroom. I like to make my own simple cleaner with a spray bottle of half white vinegar and half water. It works great for both mirrors and general cleaning. For a gentle scrub, combine a half cup of baking soda with a few squirts of liquid soap and water. If you dislike the smell of vinegar, add up to 24 drops of your favorite essential oil to the spray bottle. Baking soda and a toilet brush are all you really need to clean the toilet.
If you don’t want to make your own cleaner, Healthybaby Cleaning Concentrate is combined with water in a spray bottle, and the concentrate lasts much longer than a bottle of conventional cleaner. Meliora has non-toxic concentrated cleaning pellets that combine with water in a spray bottle for a natural cleaner. The spray bottle can be refilled when empty. Stock a cleaning caddy with your favorite non-toxic cleaning supplies so you don’t have plastic bottles of supplies stuffed in every cabinet. Be mindful of keeping your bathroom free of mold too.
Eco-Friendly Bathroom Cleaning Products
Redecker Beechwood Toilet Cleaning Brush– Swap your plastic toilet brush for a biodegradable wooden one.
Sustainable Advantage– Made of renewable and biodegradable materials.
Full Circle Shower Squeegee– Recycled plastic squeegee with a renewable bamboo handle
Sustainable Advantage– Made by a carbon neutral company that chooses options that reduce greenhouse gasses and harmful chemicals.
Amber Glass Spray Bottles With Labels– Use glass bottles for mixing up non-toxic cleaning concentrates instead of plastic spray bottles.
Sustainable Advantage– Reuse one glass bottle again and again.
Heinz White Vinegar, 64 oz Jug– Dilute with water and use for many household cleaning tasks.
Sustainable Advantage– Vinegar is an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional cleaning products that contain harsh chemicals. After use, vinegar breaks down into harmless components and can be safely absorbed back into the environment.
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, 5 Lbs– Baking soda is a versatile cleaning agent that can be used for various household cleaning tasks. It has mild abrasive properties, making it effective at removing dirt, stains, and odors from different surfaces. You can use it to clean countertops, sinks, tiles, ovens, and even as a deodorizer for carpets, refrigerators, and laundry.
Sustainable Advantage– Baking soda breaks down naturally over time without causing harm to the environment. When disposed of, it doesn’t contribute to pollution or long-lasting waste.
Meliora All Purpose Home Cleaning Spray– Features solid soap refill tablets that are just as effective as pre-mixed cleaning spray but are ultra-concentrated, plastic-free, and preservative-free.
Sustainable Advantage– All Meliora products are made and distributed with your health in mind as well as for the health of the environment. Their entire product line is single-use plastic-free, and we offer refills for many of our products
Eplanita Natural Biodegradable Sponge– A plastic-free sponge made from pure loofah plants.
Sustainable Advantage– 100% biodegradable and compostable.
E-Cloth Window Cleaning Cloths– These reusable cleaning cloths are made to last.
Sustainable Advantage– Use a specially manufactured E-cloth plus water to remove dirt and grime.
Natural Elements Bamboo Wash Cloths– Naturally anti-microbial washcloths with naturally odor resistant fibers.
Sustainable Advantage– Biodegradable and reusable.
Conventional period pads contain up to 5 plastic bags worth of plastic. In a 2019 study on sanitary pads, researchers found two types of phthalate chemicals in all of the 11 brands of sanitary pads tested. Phthalates are used to soften plastics in products such as cosmetics, toys, medical devices (pads and tampons are considered medical devices) and other plastics.The measured phthalate levels in the products tested were significantly higher than what is commonly found in plastic goods.
The best way to avoid exposure to harmful chemicals and to completely cut out plastic waste in sanitary products is to purchase a brand that doesn’t contain any plastic. Beyond silicone menstrual cups and period underwear, purchase only organic cotton period pads and organic cotton tampons.
Eco-Friendly Menstrual Products
Cora Menstrual Cup– Replace tampons with a reusable silicone menstrual cup.
Sustainable Advantage– Approximately 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are thrown away each year. Go without tampons or pads altogether by using a reusable menstrual cup.
Modibodi Period Underwear– PFAS-free period underwear.
Sustainable Advantage– Approximately 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are thrown away each year. Go without tampons or pads altogether by using reusable period underwear.
Natracare Organic Period Pads– Natracare uses eco-friendly and non-toxic organic cotton, sustainable wood pulp and plant starch.
Sustainable Advantage– Vinegar is an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional cleaning products that contain harsh chemicals. After use, vinegar breaks down into harmless components and can be safely absorbed back into the environment.
Natracare Organic Tampons– Natracare uses eco-friendly and non-toxic organic cotton, sustainable wood pulp and plant starch.
Sustainable Advantage– Natracare pads, tampons and wipes are made from renewable, biodegradable and compostable materials. All period products are plastic-free.
Oi Certified Organic Cotton Pads– No plastic and no toxins, Made with non-toxic organic cotton.
Sustainable Advantage– Oi’s disposable period products, pads, tampons and liners, are made to have minimal impact on the environment and will biodegrade over 5 years.
Oi Certified Organic Cotton Tampons– No plastic and no toxins, Made with non-toxic organic cotton.
Sustainable Advantage– Oi’s disposable period products, pads, tampons and liners, are made to have minimal impact on the environment and will biodegrade over 5 years.
More Natural Living Inspiration
References
- https://greenerstate.com/the-stem/10-reasons-why-you-should-rethink-plastic-and-5-ways-to-reduce-plastic-waste/
- https://greenerstate.com/the-stem/10-reasons-why-you-should-rethink-plastic-and-5-ways-to-reduce-plastic-waste/
- https://greenerstate.com/the-stem/10-reasons-why-you-should-rethink-plastic-and-5-ways-to-reduce-plastic-waste/
- https://www.foreo.com/mysa/how-toothbrushes-affect-environment-infographic/
- https://www.natracare.com/blog/how-much-plastic-in-sanitary-pads/
- Chan Jin Park, A. et al. Sanitary pads and diapers contain higher phthalate contents than those in common commercial plastic products. Reprod Toxicol. 2019 Mar; 84: 114–121.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6504186/