Bathrooms can be a big source of waste, so why not make these 4 easy zero waste swaps today.
Small changes DO reduce our impact, and these swaps can be permanent for a lifetime of less plastic, and a more eco-friendly life.
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The thought of going zero waste can be very daunting, but it really isn't hard to get started. The bathroom is a place we use everyday, and multiple times a day and is a brilliant place to begin.
1. Replace Liquid Soap with Bar Soap
Liquid soap bought from the supermarkets is always sold in plastic containers. Although these can be recycled, a lot of resources go into making and recycling these bottles and it's not that difficult to go plastic-free. If your pretty savvy, you might try your hand at making your own liquid or bar soap but for some of us, the time factor is a bit of a deterrent.
Swapping to bar soap can easily be a zero-waste option especially as there are loads of amazing soaps on the market that come with absolutely no packaging.
Even just buying regular soap at the supermarket, most come packaged in cardboard, is way better as far as lifespan of breaking down and they last a long time.
For me, this is a fabulous excuse to buy some of the gorgeous soaps from the market AND actually use them! I expected my family to complain when I removed the liquid soap, we were going through 750mls a fortnight (I still can't work out why!) but they embraced it with very little explanation from me and now we are saving money too.
This Australian Handmade Tree Soap is one of my favourites, its palm oil free, vegan and great on sensitive skin.
If you still prefer liquid soap, try this DIY recipe for a low waste option that will be better on your skin and can be used as either hand or body wash.
2. Package Free Shampoo & Conditioner
Again, think about ridding yourself of plastics and packaging.
You can simply go the no-shampoo approach and mix up a natural alternative.
Here is my no-poo routine, my hair and scalp responded instantly and I realised how badly store bought products were irritating my skin.
There are plenty of other shampoo & conditioner bars you can find and you may need to experiment a little to find the perfect one.
To use, you just lather up like regular soap and apply to your hair, then rinse as normal.
Lush and ethique are good options, but be aware they do contains SLS, and is a no go for sensitive skin.
My hands down favourite hair care bars are Beauty and the Bees, which are handmade in Tasmania, packaged plastic-free and very natural.
You can get a great shampoo bar sampler pack here , which is what I started out with and now I've settled on a favourite which is a Lemon & Chamomile Shampoo Bar, which smells divine!
And as a conditioner I use this zero waste Honey Silk Conditioning Bar
3. Zero Waste Toilet Paper
No, I am not (and will NEVER be) proposing you give up this necessity!
Many people do give up toilet paper and you certainly can if you want.
Finding a brand that is packaged in paper rather than plastic is possible.
There are not many brands yet that do this and I sure hope this changes soon. Next time you're in the supermarket, take a good look especially near the end or bottom of the shelves in the toilet paper aisle and I'm sure you will find some.
On the other hand, If you really destest shopping and plan on using a real lot of toilet paper you might want to check out Who Gives A Crap for bulk home delivery of their sustainable bamboo toilet paper.
4. Plastic Free Cotton-Buds
Cotton-buds were something I never gave a lot of thought to, until I removed the waste bin from the bathroom.
I should briefly explain...I repurposed our bathroom bin to be used only for items we can compost through our council, like tissues.
But every morning, whoever used a cotton-bud had to go and place it in the tiny rubbish bin in the kitchen for landfill. These tiny items became annoying fast, and who wants to give up a prime spot at the bathroom mirror just to run to the bin OR even worse, find used cotton-buds just left on the counter.
So, the second we ran out, I made the swap to plastic-free cotton buds.
Now, they go into the compost bin too and we rarely have any other bathroom waste.
There are several different types around, like bamboo stemmed cotton buds, but my favourite are these (mainly because they are a bit cheaper) cardboard stemmed beauty buds.
Now you know 4 absolutely simple swaps you can make right now to start going zero waste in your bathroom!
Read next: How To Reduce Bathroom Waste