“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders,
cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage,
for your children and your children’s children.
Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
The motto “progress not perfection” is something we should all remember in life. Especially when it comes to striving for a zero waste lifestyle. It’s OKAY to not live 100% zero waste, it’s also AWESOME if you are able to fully live a zero waste life. It’s about progress. If your feeling intimidated, try swapping just one thing in your life to a zero waste alternative. Every little bit of trash you can save from the landfill helps. Not to mention all the waste that ends up in the ocean, littering beaches and harming marine life.
Here are 15 tips to have a zero waste bathroom:
(note: nothing on here is sponsored, affiliate links or any of that crap. Just stuff I like and recommend.)
1. Bamboo toothbrush.
About 1 billion toothbrushes are discarded each year in the US alone. That’s a lot of plastic waste that will never decompose. Bamboo toothbrushes are awesome because you can recycle the bristles and compost the handle. Plus they look really cool! Check your local health food store or amazon.
2. Tooth powder.
Brushing your teeth with a DIY tooth powder is a great zero waste alternative. You’ll be avoiding artificial and toxic ingredients AND it’s so much cheaper than buying toothpaste. Unfortunately I haven’t found a good dental floss yet. There are kinds that are biodegradable, but the ones I’ve used have shredded like crazy and don’t glide as nicely as the oral b kind.
3. Bar soap.
You can easily find package free bar soap at health food stores or from local soap makers. I use this instead of liquid hand soap. There are shampoo bars you can get, which are awesome if you have short hair, but a hassle to use on long hair.
4. Handkerchiefs.
I wrote a whole post on why handkerchiefs are awesome.
5. Bidet.
If you got dog poop on your hand, there’s no way you would wipe it off with a dry paper towel! You would totally wash it off haha. Bidets save a ridiculous amount of toilet paper, plus your bum will never have been so fresh and so clean clean. I use this $25 bidet that easily attaches to your toilet. It was a little weird using it for the first few times haha, but Donovan and I have zero regrets about getting it. All pros, no cons.
6. Recycled toilet paper.
I use small amounts of tp because I’m not hardcore enough to use a “family cloth” haha. It is absolutely horrendous that trees are being cut down, only to be flushed down the toilet. Single use disposable items should only be made from recycled materials, or avoided all together. I like the Natural Value brand toilet paper. It’s made from 100% recycled paper, the packaging is recyclable, it’s affordable, and they don’t use chlorine or other toxic stuff when manufacturing it. I buy it from Natural Grocers and it’s about $2.99 for a pack of 4 large rolls.
PER DAY in the US alone: “100 million rolls of toilet paper used resulting in… 41 thousand trees pulped… 1.3 billion gallons of water consumed to produce the paper… 693 tons of chlorine applied in the bleaching process… 47 thousand megawatt-hours of electricity wasted.” (mercola.com)
7. Menstrual cup.
Using a cup has been the best thing that has ever happened to my periods. There are so many benefits to this, I should probably write a post about it. I use the lady cup.
8. Reusable cotton rounds/balls.
These are so easy to make! I bought some purple flannel fabric for about a dollar. I cut it into squares then sewed two pieces together like you would when making bean bags. I use them to remove makeup, apply toner etc. I wash them along with the bath towels. They don’t fall apart like the disposables and are softer. Not to mention all the negative impacts cotton can have on the environment. (Statistics here.)
9. Recycle.
If you have some products that come in containers, just make sure to recycle them. Donovan and I use and love this shower gel instead of bar soap. It doesn’t dry out our skin like bar soap does and it’s nicer to shave my legs with. We also use it to wash our dogs. It’s natural, it lasts us quite awhile, then we recycle it. I haven’t found a good, natural shampoo and conditioner yet. If you wear contacts, just recycle what you can and don’t stress about it.
10. Shaving cream alternative.
Donovan uses coconut oil instead of shaving cream. He says, “It will leave your skin feeling more moist afterwards, there’s no crap in it, it’s 100% natural.”
11. DIY deodorant.
Donovan uses plain baking soda as deodorant and I make my own deodorant paste. Both actually work better than regular deodorant!
12. Compost.
Some people stop using q tips all together, but I have slight q tip addiction. I make sure to buy the kind with a cardboard middle so they can biodegrade. Avoid the plastic centered ones. This is really gross, but you can compost your hair and nail clippings.
13. DIY skincare.
I make my own cleanser (recipe here). Bentonite clay and raw honey both make great face masks.
14. Multipurpose items.
Try using things that have multiple uses. I use jojoba oil to moisturize my face and my hair. Baking soda can be used for brushing teeth, deodorant, facial scrub, and cleaning your bathroom to name a few. Coconut oil can be used for oil pulling, as a body moisturizer, deep conditioning treatment etc.
15. Quality tools.
Use quality tools that will last forever (or at least a very long time haha). I adore my Mason Pearson hair brush, which was ridiculously expensive but worth every penny. Get a stainless steel nail file instead of emery boards. A lot of zero wasters love the single blade safety razor, I haven’t tried that yet though.
I don’t have any recommendations for zero waste makeup. Just use up beauty products you have, then buy less in the future. You don’t need a million products to be beautiful or get the job done.
Thank you for reading this. I really appreciate it! I hope that you found this info helpful. If you have any questions you can ask me over on instagram.
Peace & Love,
Kayla Oliver
