5 Plastic Free Bathroom Swaps
From superfluous plastic packaging to plastic “exfoliating” beads and beyond, plastic can be ubiquitous in your bathroom routine. But does it have to be the case? Can we make our 250,000 lifetime bathroom trips more sustainable?
In partnership with Natracare, the world’s first organic and plastic-free period brand, here are a few of our favorite sustainable bathroom swaps:
Toothbrush
Toothbrushes are typically wrapped in plastic and made of plastic. Double trouble! Manual, conventional toothbrushes are made from polypropylene plastic and nylon, which are sourced from non-renewable fossil fuels. In fact 1,500,000,000 toothbrushes are thrown away every year in just the United States! Switching to compostable and biodegradable bamboo toothbrushes can help return nutrients into the Earth’s soil after its use -- limiting the amount sent to landfill!
Wipes
Wipes are remarkably convenient and useful. With wipes, we can easily remove makeup, clean up after sex, and freshen up after taking a number two. Yet the material of many wipes contains a plastic blend. As the eco-alternative, all of Natracare’s wipes are 100% plastic free as well as biodegradable and compostable. Their baby wipes, makeup remover wipes, and intimate wipes are made with 100% organic cotton cloths. They also make Safe to Flush Moist Tissues which are made with 100% paper so they can be flushed without the fear of causing fatbergs.
Floss
If everyone in the U.S. flosses their teeth according to ADA recommendations, every year we would fill a landfill the size of a football field that’s 6 stories high, just from the empty floss dispensers!! A better option is refillable, zero waste floss container by Dental Lace.
Organic cotton towels
Towels are another great place to upgrade your sustainable bathroom game. Many towels are made with a polyester fabric blend, which (surprise, surprise!) means plastic. Instead, switch to organic cotton towels for a plastic free, fancy bathroom experience that won’t leak microplastic into the water nor outlive our time on the earth.
Period Products
Plastic in period products can take on many forms: the plastic applicators, the plastic tampon casings, the plastic in pads. It is estimated that the average pack of conventional pads contains the equivalent amount of plastic of 5 grocery bags! And when it comes to “plant-based plastic” applicators, a recent study from Greenpeace Research Laboratory at Exeter University found that rigid plant-based plastic behaves (and pollutes) exactly the same as standard, oil-based plastic. For plastic free, organic period products, Natracare has you set.
From our daily hygiene to pampering ourselves at home, we spend a fair length of time in our bathrooms. How are you upgrading your bathroom experience to include more sustainable practices and products? Let us know in the comments below! And don’t forget to check out our friends Natracare and follow them on socials @Natracare.
