9 Zero Waste Bathroom Swaps for a More Sustainable Bathroom Routine
We spend a lot of time in the bathroom and a lot of these products are single use products and/or made of plastic. Start swapping out these items and before you know it you’ll have a zero waste bathroom.
Estimated Read Time: 7 minutes
We spend a lot of time in the bathroom and depending on if you have roommates (or kids) some of us more than others.
Bathrooms are places of routine, for the most part you use the same products, everyday, in somewhat of the same order. When it’s time to stock up, you reach for the brands you’ve always used, or the cheapest, without a second thought. But it just so happens that a lot of these are single use products and/or made of plastic.
The positive side is this means your bathroom is the perfect place to begin swapping out these single use plastic products for more sustainable, eco-friendly products! Switching out one product at a time as you need to restock will slowly start turning your bathroom into a zero waste bathroom!
Swap out what makes sense for you and your family and do what you can, when you can. The best part about zero waste is that it’s completely on your terms. Below are our 9 recommendations for a more sustainable bathroom routine.
1. PlantPaper Bamboo Toilet Paper
Unfortunately, toilet paper is not dropped off at the store by the toilet paper fairy. Instead, most of it comes from forests — particularly very important forests, like Canada’s Boreal forest — and contains dyes, chemicals, + tons of water. By switching to PlantPaper’s tree free TP, you can be the toilet paper fairy for your house!
PlantPaper is made from FSC Certified, organically grown bamboo pulp. It’s better than regular tree-based toilet paper because bamboo is extremely regenerative; growing up to 3 feet in 24 hours with little water and no fertilizer. Not only is PlantPaper’s TP tree-free, their entire supply chain is plastic-free. Everything ships in 100% recycled, recyclable, and compostable boxes that are free of dyes and coating.
2. Plastic Free Shampoo & Conditioner Bars
Shampoo & conditioner bars are one of the easiest, and most fun, additions to a zero waste bathroom. Say goodbye to plastic bottles, shampoo bars that don’t easily suds up, or leave residue in your hair, and are hard to hold. Our circular shampoo bars:
Have Tons of Fun Colors
Makes Your Shower Smell Like Paradise
Leaves Your Hair Soft, But Most Importantly, Clean
Vegan, Cruelty Free, Palm Oil Free, Plastic Free Packaging, Zero Waste, And Greywater Safe
Have Been Featured In Health Magazine, American Airlines Magazine, Reader's Digest, and Buzzfeed
With so many refreshing scents and nourishing ingredients, there’s a shampoo and conditioner bar for everyone. Sunshine Bars are our #1 seller and as a bonus they’re made by our own team!
3. Bar Soap — Hand & Body
We’re on a mission to bring bar soap back but with a fun, modern twist. This isn’t the Ivory, Irish Springs, or whatever pastel colored weird smelling soap your grandparents had. Bar soap, like this one from Brooklyn Made Natural, is filled with essential oils and moisturizing ingredients. And if it’s good enough for Jane Fonda, it’s good enough for us. Not only is switching to a bar soap friendlier on the planet, but a lot of liquid soaps contain harsh chemicals and scents that actually dry your skin out. A double win for your zero waste bathroom as you can sub out hand and body soap for bar soap.
4. Soap Dish
This addition goes without saying but you can’t have bar soap without a soap dish! Storing your soap bar elevated and out of the water stream helps it last longer while being a very chic addition to your bathroom — zero waste bathroom that is. Functional, cute, and good for the planet. Win Win Win.
5. Zero Waste Loofah
Next time you’re at the store, try to not automatically toss a shower pouf in your cart. As cute and colorful as they make your shower, there’s a very good chance your super fluffy loofah is made from plastic and/or fossil fuels. Additionally with every use it sheds microplastics that enter our water stream. The true zero waste way to get yourself clean is to use your hands, but if you want something that exfoliates or you’re just not ready to go loofah-free, try one of these from Brush With Bamboo that are 100% plant fiber and compostable.
6. Zero Waste Safety Razor
No matter if you religiously replace your plastic razor heads as recommended orrr stretch it out a few weeks (months) longer than you should, your razors will end up in the landfill. The blade itself will rust away into nothing but the myriad of plastic components will live on forever, or like a really long time. Even if you have a reusable handle and only swap out the heads, they’re A.) just as expensive as buying the entire razor and B.) have to eventually get thrown away because they get gross.
The majority of safety razors are plastic free, like this one from Upcircle beauty and offer a return program for the used blades. This one has a double edged single blade to last longer but options like Leaf Shave offer multiple blade options. Face and body friendly, safety razors are an essential for a zero waste bathroom. While meant to last a lifetime they can be recycled at the end of their life.
7. Bamboo Toothbrush
Not much has changed on a toothbrush since it came to the masses in the early 1900’s and the material with which toothbrushes are made has not done much evolving either. Though you’ve probably heard it, it’s worth repeating that every toothbrush ever made still exists in a landfill today. Bamboo toothbrushes are a great alternative due to their compostable nature. Our ZWS Essentials Bamboo Toothbrush is completely plant-based: bristles, handle, and box. Made from castor bean oil, organic bamboo, and paper! At the end of its life, compost the handle (and packaging) and recycle the bristles.
8. Toothpaste Tablets
What zero waste bathroom would be complete without toothpaste tablets? The ugly side to traditional toothpaste has been revealed and toothpaste tablets are here to stay. Not only are these tablets great for the planet and your teeth, they make the perfect traveling companion. Huppy tablets are Vegan, cruelty free, sls-free, non-gmo, and completely plastic-free. They come in a (cute) reusable and recyclable aluminum case and refills come in paper pouches. Packaging and refill packaging are compostable.
9. Reusable Facial Rounds
Reusable facial rounds are literally the easiest addition to a zero waste bathroom (or anywhere else you use them). Instead of hitting up the dollar store or tossing a package in your cart with every trip to the store, get yourself a reusable set. Use as much as you want, toss them in the laundry with your other items (we recommend using a bag for delicates to make it easy to collect them all) then line or low heat dry. Store just as you would regular cotton rounds — without the plastic — and use just as you would disposable rounds, but with better colors.
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