A staggering 35 million plastic bottles are thrown away in the UK every year. We’re guessing you’ve cut down on bottled drinks already, but a few simple swaps in your bathroom could bring your bottle tally down even more.
It’s not always easy to avoid plastic, as it has a habit of sneaking into things like bathroom cleaning sponges and baby wipes. (Don’t get us started on tea bags.) And there are few things more annoying than picking an eco-option only for it to arrive packaged in plastic. We try to be as clear as possible in our descriptions, but please feel free to drop us a message if you want to check anything. In the meantime, here are some of our favourite plastic-free swaps to make to your bathroom today.
There’s no denying that cotton buds are handy. If you want to clean your ears without a side order of guilt, try our biodegradable cotton buds. Choose from the Hydrophil Organic Cotton Buds and the Acala Bamboo Cotton Buds. Both are fully degradable and come packaged in recycled cardboard.
An easy way to reduce your plastic waste is to swap liquids for solids. Shampoo bars are really popular right now. We love the ones by The Solid Bar Company. There are bars for dry, greasy and normal hair. They’re 100% natural and made with ingredients such as Geranium, Orange and Patchouli. (So they’ll leave your hair as clean as your conscience and your bathroom smelling sweet.)
Faith in Nature have just introduced their shampoo bars too - choose from Lavender and Geranium or Coconut and Shea Butter.
Swap your body wash or shower gel to a good old bar of soap. Just make sure it’s SLS-free so it’s as kind to your skin as it is to the planet. Our customers rave about the Olivia Natural Olive Oil Soap (almost all reviewers give it five stars), as well as those by Faith In Nature, (eight to choose from and the packaging is gorgeous) and Dr. Bronner's (pure castile soap). We’ve also recently introduced Acala soaps, which are vegan, handmade and oh so luxurious.
Deodorant and antiperspirant tubes can be difficult to recycle. Thankfully, there are plastic-free options available. Ben & Anna have 11 such deodorants to choose from, ranging from Nordic Timber to Persian Lime. They’re also vegan, cruelty-free and don’t contain aluminium, PEG, parabens or phthalates. Prefer a natural rock deodorant? Try Crystal Spring. Or if you fancy something a bit different, give the Ohm powder deodorants a try.
Over a billion plastic toothbrushes end up in landfill sites every year. Keep your conscience as clean as your gnashers with bamboo toothbrushes. And yes, it is possible to buy toothpaste without plastic packaging; Ben & Anna have several to choose from or try Lamazuna’s 100% natural solid toothpastes. We even stock biodegradable dental floss.
When it comes to loo roll, there are three things to consider. One, you want the paper to be made from recycled or sustainable fibres. Two, you want it to come in recyclable or degradable packaging. And three, you want it to feel kitten soft on your derriere. Green Cane, Cheeky Panda and Ecoleaf deliver on all three wishes.
You know we mentioned that plastic tends to sneak into things? The humble sticking plaster is one of those things. Luckily, you can buy plastic-free organic plasters from Organii instead. There’s no chemical adhesive and no PVC so they’re less likely to cause irritation.
Fed up of tampons wrapped in plastic, and sanitary towels with plastic backs? Us too. Did you know you’d have to dig a hole 300 feet square to bury all the sanitary products Brits throw away every year? Or that most of those products aren’t biodegradable? Thankfully, Natracare offers a sustainable alternative.
Sadly, a plastic-free bathroom might be better for the planet, but it isn’t self-cleaning. At the moment, there aren’t many options for plastic-free cleaning products, but you can at least choose a plant-based washable cleaning cloth from Maistic or a natural loofah sponge from LoofCo. Another way to cut your plastic waste (and save some cash in the process) is to buy your cleaning products in bulk.
Ready to ditch the plastic? Why not make a pledge to go plastic-free for a month? It’s a great way to kick-start some good habits.