1. Ditch those shampoos, shower gels and washes
The humble bar of soap is a great way to battle climate change. They often have little to no packaging as opposed to the plastic bottles that house shower gels and liquid soaps. They take less water to produce and because of their size, they’re easier to transport giving them a lower carbon footprint. Solid shampoos, similar to soaps are also proving to be very popular. Ensure they’re palm oil and cruelty free and you’re on to a winner.
2. Bamboo Toothbrushes
Bamboo toothbrushes are becoming increasingly popular with green consumers and rightfully so. Plastic toothbrushes can take up to 500 years to degrade and most of us use around 300 of them in our lifetime. Bamboo toothbrushes are biodegradable, so have little environmental effect making them a positive purchase when fighting climate change.
If your toothbrush is electric, look for recyclable heads and switch out your dental floss for a biodegradable alternative, such as silk floss.
3. Toothpaste
Consider toothpaste in a biodegradable tube or even opt for a toothpaste tablet to help reduce the whopping 300 million toothpaste tubes that end up in UK landfills each year.
4. Toilet Paper
Toilet paper shockingly accounts for 15% of the world’s deforestation – that’s 27,000 trees every single day. Look for toilet paper that is 100% recycled or responsibly sourced from sustainable materials like bamboo.
Or why not consider ditching toilet paper altogether? A non-electric bidet attachment is the greenest way to keep clean and is gaining rapid popularity. You’ll also benefit from a sense of satisfaction should we ever find ourselves panic buying toilet roll again.
5. Wipes
Wet wipes, both of the baby and beauty variety are a terrible thing: for your skin, the environment and your u-bend. Try using bamboo pads or a muslin/silk face cloth that you can wash and reuse. Your face will thank you.
6. Indulge in a little alchemy
With a little experimentation, you can make your own cleaning products and face creams from natural ingredients. Saving the planet from a huge amount of plastic packaging and saving you money, whilst you are safe in the knowledge that you’re not covering your home and your face with a myriad of chemicals.
7. Say no to single use
Cotton wool, cotton buds, wipes, and tissues can all be replaced with sustainable alternatives. Given the havoc these seemingly innocent products cause in our oceans and inland waterways, it’s a no brainer.
8. Recycle
People recycle considerably less in the bathroom than the kitchen, 40% of landfill is bathroom plastics which could be eradicated. Most of the containers you’ll have in your bathroom can be recycled. A lot of make-up brands now offer returns of their own packaging, such as Maybelline who don’t just take their own brand’s empties.
9. Showers
Two thirds of household water is used in the bathroom, using around 15 litres every minute. Consider a low flow shower head which will reduce your consumption. Embracing the reputed benefits of a cold shower will cut the energy used to heat the water, lowering your carbon footprint further.
If you wait for your shower to warm up before jumping in, collect the water to feed your plants or garden.
10. Toilet Tricks
Save water on your cistern refill by filling a 1 litre bottle with pebbles and water and placing it in your toilet tank, ensuring that the bottle doesn’t touch any of the working parts. This will save you 1 litre of water with every flush!
