The Bathroom is probably my biggest obstacle toward becoming a zero waste household (or close to it!). Some things I’ve learned:
If I had a way to compost at home, I’d be replacing my bathroom trash can with a bathroom compost bin. The bathroom will always generate waste — The goal is for that waste to be biodegradable at home. Most of what goes in my bathroom trash today comes from me: hair clipping, nail clippings, used tissues, etc.
I’m okay with long-term plastics for my bathroom. Things I’ll get a lifetime of use out of. My whole world opened up when I finally bought my own shower head for our apartment. It suddenly made apartment bathrooms livable! I’ll have to research how to dispose of these properly when that time comes years down the road… But long-term plastics are a trade-off for comfort that I’m okay with.
This website has a good list of bulk and refill stores in California and the Bay Area (where I live). Including the Re-Up Refill Shop in Oakland and The Fillerup Shop in Morgan Hill. When my existing stocks get low… this’ll be where I go!
The Biggest Bathroom Culprits
So… what are my biggest bathroom targets to replace? Obviously things I can refill as noted above; like shampoo, soap, lotion, and cleaners.
Deodorant is one of the biggest challenges. I overstocked on a favorite scent a decade ago and have been living off expired Old Spice ever since. Probably not the healthiest choice! And traditional deodorant is full of custom plastic parts that aren’t very recycling-friendly. Luckily… deodorant is going through a revolution right now. Lots of (for lack of a better word) “gluestick”-like options are popping up. I’m currently trying out this cardboard tube option from Meow Meow Tweet.
Toothpaste (and tubes in general) aren’t great for the planet, either. There are literal tooth paste options out there now! My fallback if I don’t care for those is to switch to Tom’s; who offer a recycling program.
Toothbrushes are terrible single-ish use plastic. I refuse all freebies from my dentist now! I’m trying out toothbrushes made of natural materials — which are fairly common. Bamboo handles, natural bristles, etc. They might not be as trendy as more mainstream brushes… But I’ve always doubted the benefits of some toothbrush design fads.
Floss… What to say about floss? I hate flossing and it’s bad for the environment. Most floss is single-use tiny pieces of plastic. Even worse… I’ve been using disposable plastic-handle floss. Embarrassing, I know. But it’s the only comfortable way I’ve found to actually floss like my dentist wants! I’ve invested in some silk floss in a refillable container (glass). I’ll probably wind up looking for a metal reusable handle or something… but this is a start.
Hairbrushes and combs are currently plastic and might last forever. When I ever need to replace these… I’ll be looking for wood handles with natural bristles.
Facial rounds, cotton squares, and cotton swabs aren’t altogether bad if you’re conscious of what you’re buying. But I’ve invested in a pack of washable facial rounds (instead of cotton) from Marley’s Monsters. There are tons of great washable things on this site. My cotton swabs are already all natural materials — just be careful not to buy plastic-handled swabs for single use.
Disposable cups might seem fine or recyclable… but like coffee cups, they’re coated with wax and aren’t recyclable. Just biodegradable. I just keep a small mason jar in the bathroom for all my cup needs instead of wasting packaging for disposable cups anyway.
Medicine will likely stay wasteful and plastic for many reasons. Maybe one day we can get some sustainable FDA-approved alternatives…
Candles I love come in glass jars. These are recyclable (instead of the single-use ceramics that are common). I try to find other uses for non-glass candle jars. I also invested in a wax warmer! Here’s a trick: Put boiling water in a candle jar when it’s down to the dregs. This cleans out the jar and floats the leftover wax to the top — where it cools and hardens! I break this into small chunks and use it in my wax warmer.
Loofa/Scrubber — An authentic “loofa” is of course the best option since it’s 100% plant guts. I currently use a charcoal exfoliator. Mostly just avoid the “dude”-branded plastic poofs.
Razor is another things I’m using long-term plastics for. I cut my own hair at home (which saves a LOT of money after you have a year of practice!). I’ve had both my beard razor and my hair razor for over a decade. Since they’re electronics, they can presumably be recycled at a Best Buy (?) when they eventually die. I buy replacement blades and oil them as instructed.
Everything Else
…and probably the rest of the bathroom comes down to 1.) Getting refills, or 2.) Multi-use items. My main objective is to be conscious of what something is packaged in when I buy it and what its eventual end-of-life experience is like. For example: The razors. I wouldn’t buy a replacement razor without a plan for what to do with it in 1-2 decades.
As I’ve already established, I’m thankful to be privileged enough to already have bought a lot of things in life. My long-serving toilet brush and plunger will continue their use rather than speeding their journey to the dump (pun intended) by replacing them now. Same for my shower curtain. My plastic-coated one is good for now. I’ll certainly have to do some research when the time comes to replace it.
