The zero-waste lifestyle movement is forging full steam ahead with its efforts to reduce consumption in the home, and nowhere is this more evident than in your bathroom. Whether it’s eco-friendly dental floss, plastic free cotton swabs, or biodegradable bodywash, sourcing sustainable products for your bathroom is easier than ever before. In fact, by replacing many of the products you use on a daily basis with eco-friendly alternatives, you’ll find that you’ll reduce packaging and other types of waste in your home by a significant amount.
Bathroom waste is generated both from personal hygiene and grooming (plastic toothbrushes and disposable razors) and by the products we use to keep bathrooms clean ( bleach bottles and glass cleaners). Both of which create unnecessary plastic packaging while also containing all kinds of harmful chemicals. However, with a global push towards sustainability, the no-waste bathroom has arrived.
When it comes to the zero-waste home, it’s important to examine every room of your house, as measuring and monitoring the waste you produce currently is the best way to see where you can cut back. Naturally, the bathroom is no exception, so to help you find the ideal alternatives to your existing, wasteful products, we’re here to help. Discover the best zero-waste bathroom products here and give your zero-waste journey a makeover today.
Source: zerowaste.com
Brush with Bamboo Toothbrush
Let’s start with something that’s a huge problem when it comes to waste plastics, with more than a billion being thrown away in the US annually—toothbrushes. There are many options for sustainable toothbrushes, with a great plastic-free alternative being Brush with Bamboo’s 100% plant-based toothbrushes. The handle is made from organic bamboo while the bristles are crafted using castor bean oil. Even the packaging is zero waste, made entirely from paper with no tape or glue—perfect for composting.
What’s great about these bamboo brushes is that they come in an adult size for you, but also a child’s size, so you can get your whole family to zero waste, which is usually especially tough with children. However, the choice of zero-waste oral hygiene products doesn’t end there, with natural tooth powders, dental lace or floss, and a whole range of toothbrushes waiting to become a part of your zero-waste journey.
Source: zerowaste.com
Unpaste — Zero Waste Toothpaste Tablets
The perfect accompaniment for your zero-waste toothbrush is these innovative toothpaste tablets. Rather than squeezing goop out of a plastic tube, you throw one of these Unpaste tablets in your mouth, chew, and get a foamy paste to brush with. These tablets help reduce the packaging required to ship, while also ensuring that the packaging they do use is made of non-GMO corn starch that’s fully compostable. A single bag contains 125 gluten free, non-GMO, fluoride free tablets, reducing plastic waste and bringing you one step closer to your zero-waste bathroom while ensuring your pearly whites stay that way.
Source: zerowaste.com
Lucky Locks — Zero Waste Premium Shampoo Bar
Billions of plastic bottles are thrown away every year, and a good number of these come from the products we use to keep ourselves, or more specifically our hair, clean and presentable. But, there’s no need when there are zero-waste bathroom products like Lucky Locks shampoo bar. This sulfate free, palm oil free, and pH balanced, nettle mint meadow bar soap shampoo is handcrafted in Oregon from the best natural materials. It’s suitable for all types of hair (even color-treated) and should last for up to 50 washes. What’s more, it comes packaged in 100% recyclable paper with no plastic at all—and it’s vegan to boot.
Source: zerowaste.com
TUSHY — Classic Bidet Attachment
Bidets have been a staple in many countries for decades, and when you look at how simple they are, flushing all that toilet paper away seems like, well, just flushing money away—as well as creating a steaming pile of waste paper that has to go somewhere! Refitting a bathroom can very quickly become expensive, but the Tushy Classic Bidet Attachment allows you to simply add a bidet to any “round, oval, and elongated toilet” with pressure and angle control and a self-cleaning nozzle.
The best part is that there’s no extra plumbing or electricity needed, also saving you energy each time you use it. However, for those who simply can’t bear the thought of ditching the classic TP, Tushy also offers a bamboo toilet paper subscription to help you minimize your environmental impact.
Source: ecoroots.us
Zero Waste Deodorant
Just like your shampoo and conditioner, deodorant frequently comes in an abundance of packaging—whether the bulky plastic of roll-on and stick deodorants or the metal and plastic containers of aerosols. There are now a huge range of natural deodorant alternatives, such as bai – li, an aluminum-free, paraben-free, cruelty-free, baking-soda free, and vegan option. This “zero-waste deodorant is handmade in small batches to ensure freshness and eliminate the need for preservatives”. It’s also 100% biodegradable, allowing you to compost or re-purpose the tube—the perfect addition to your zero-waste bathroom.
Safety Razors
We’ve come to think of those little plastic disposable razors as “standard”, tossing the detachable heads (or the entire thing) in the bin without a second thought. But, this wasn’t always the case, and the classic safety razor is making a comeback. Also known as a double-edged safety razor, these are the kind of things your grandfather would use, allowing you to swap out the blade rather than the entire head. The blades are all metal, so can be recycled properly, but also last longer and are considered by many to be better for your skin. There’s a huge range to choose from, so much of it comes down to personal preference, skin type, and experience, however, ditching the plastic razors is a great way to help the environment.
Source: patchstrips
Patch — Zero Waste Band Aids
Diving into the medicine cabinet, the company Patch is making zero-waste adhesive bandages from “natural bamboo fibre with the added natural goodness of activated charcoal, aloe vera and coconut oil.” These unique bandaids are also organic and biodegradable, and all the materials are sourced from sustainable sources. They’re an excellent addition to your zero-waste bathroom, giving you a low waste alternative to those plastic-based band aids that the kids burn through like wildfire!
Source: zerowastestore
Bamboo Hairbrush
Hairbrushes and combs aren’t items that you should have to replace often, but when you do you should think about how to make sure you aren’t adding to that pile of broken plastic-based products that we’ve all grown so used to. This bamboo hairbrush is made for a natural feel, with pins made of bamboo, a cushion base of natural rubber, and the handle made of more bamboo with a beeswax finish, making it completely compostable. And, of course, it comes in compostable packaging made from paper to keep your bathroom zero waste.
Reusable Spray Bottle
Source: Grove
Cleaning products can present a real challenge for those looking to create a zero-waste bathroom, so many people opt for making their own DIY versions. The problem? Finding something to store and easily dispenses these cleaners in your bathroom. What you need are refillable spray bottles and glass jars.
You can reuse the ones you have, however, you must remain vigilant when you refill these as chemicals and degrading plastics don’t always play nice together. Alternatively, there are sets of glass spray bottles that can be used for cleaning all around the house, not just your zero-waste bathroom.
So, whether its a vinegar-based toilet cleaner, an orange oil glass cleaner, or even some homemade mouthwash, grab a glass container and start cooking up your own strange concoctions today. Just remember to LABEL EVERYTHING CLEARLY!
Stainless Steel Mop and Bucket
Source: homedepot
It may seem like one of the most simple zero-waste bathroom swaps, but if you take a look at the mop and bucket you’re currently using, chances are they are made entirely of plastic—and probably cheap plastic that won’t last very long before it’s ready for the landfill (no chance of recycling these I’m afraid).
If you can still use your current mop and bucket, don’t replace it yet! But when you next need to, consider getting a simple metal bucket and classic mop head instead of the semi-disposable ones that are so common today. They also look better than those brightly colored plastic products, and you can even use it as a planter if for any reason it should start leaking. Zero-waste bathroom cleaning has never been so classy!
Today, there are countless products on the market to help you push your bathroom towards zero waste. Whether it’s non-toxic make up removers and dry shampoos or a completely natural loofah, you’ll find a range of new products designed to cut out waste at the source. However, traditional products can also serve the exact same purpose, often at much lower prices and with better availability. Look for reusable cloths and facial rounds; hand soaps with natural, essential oils; wooden toilet brushes and natural rubber plungers—all near-forgotten products that, long-before plastics and environmentally problematic chemicals, were simply the most effective tools to do the job.
Stay tuned to the blog for more zero-waste bathroom swaps to help you, your home, and the planet or check out our tips and tricks to help inspire you on your zero-waste journey. Additionally, subscribe to zerowaste.com today or chat with one of our TRUE Advisors to get more insights on how your business can work towards zero waste.
*We only feature products that we recommend and believe help you on the path towards a zero waste lifestyle. This post contains affiliate links – If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. See our full policy here.*