Now, just standard recycling and re-purposing is something I've been doing since childhood. What I'm talking about here is serious cutting back of the amount of non-recyclables that get "disposed". Think about it, we throw out plastic baggies, food containers, tissues, toilet paper, paper towels, used/old/broken items, among millions of other tiny things every day. With each toss, it might seem trivial, but it adds up quickly. We don't see the the piles of waste growing and growing, though, now do we? No, but others do. That's because wealthy countries like the United States actually export their garbage (and not always legally)! We don't want to deal with the messes we create, so we send them off to less fortunate communities all around the world. That's the American way, I suppose, but American isn't the only country to participate in such trades.
All this because we are raised to live the consumer lifestyle. Not everything we use, however, is consumed. Thus a lot more ends up in landfills than we would like to admit. For more information, take a look at this video, "The Story Of Stuff":
Upsetting isnt' it? Well, that's why we need to cut back. In every room of the house, there are steps you can take to eliminate waste. In the kitchen, use sponges and reusable towels, not paper towels, to clean up messes; or using jars and tupperware to store food, not plastic baggies. In the office, you cut back by recycling paper, and even reusing one-sided paper for notes; or switching to electronic filing and messaging. But what about in the bathroom? The bathroom is one of the biggest waste creating rooms in the house (both biological and garbage waste). Here are some tricks for getting rid of waste in the bathroom.
Waste-Free in the Washroom
I'm going to be talking about garbage waste today, perhaps down the road I'll get into composting toilets, but for now, we'll just address the many toiletries and beauty items that are used each day.
We all have our routines, and there are a few basic hygiene habits we all carry out (or should). Let us take a look at my personal morning and evening routines and evaluate the neo-traditional method of executing the task, and how it can be done waste free.
The alarm goes off. I have poor vision, so I either reach for my glasses or my contact lenses. Contact lenses are a waste, but for my lifestyle, most days I go for them first. In their defense, contact lenses use much less plastic as framed glasses do. You would need to use thousands of contact lenses, I'm sure, before you would have the same amount of plastic needed to create glasses. One study explains,
The overall environmental impact of waste generated thorough the use of contact lens products by the end consumer is insignificant (0.5%) compared with the amount of waste generated in our everyday life.Either way, permanent glasses or replaceable contact lenses aren't having an enormous effect on the waste plastics industry.
So, after that less than satisfactory waste-limited step in the morning routine, I head to the bathroom. First, I wash my face. Traditionally, I would use a cleanser that came in a plastic bottle, or a bar soap that was wrapped in a cardboard box. Plastic and cardboard can usually be recycled, but depending on the plastic used for the bottle and your local recycling initiative, or the inks and coating on the cardboard, these items are sometimes trash and not recyclables. Even if they were recyclables there is still the aspect of creating single use containers. My changed behavior is now buying bar soap that comes without any packaging. I use Sappo Hill's Oatmeal Soap to cleanse and exfoliate.
After I was my face, I will apply a toner or astringent. To apply, I would use a cotton ball, and one often wasn't enough to apply the product to all of my face, my neck and my chest. So I would use and dispose of multiple cotton balls each time. Mind you, I wash my face each night as well, so we're talking at least 4 cotton balls thrown out each day, maybe 6 or more. Instead of buying and throwing away cotton balls, you can invest in reusable cotton rounds, which can be used, kept, cleaned and reused. Better for Grownups makes a set you can purchase online at Amazon.com. Finally, in the face prepping routine, I apply moisturizer. This process, however, still has me buying recyclable plastic containers. I have yet to explore a solution to this issue.
The next step in my routine is to brush my teeth. Before, I would use a toothbrush made of virgin plastic, and often one that used way more plastic than necessary to make. Now, I use a BPA-free plastic toothbrush made from recycled yogurt cups. I take advantage of Preserve's Toothbrush Subscription program. For $13 a year, I have a toothbrush mailed to me every 3 months, and the old toothbrush is sent back and recycled. It is 100% post-consumer, and the brush and the mail packaging is all recyclable. I will try this program for the next year, and perhaps later explore other alternatives, such as a wooden handle and natural bristle brush. This type of a brush could be composted or used in a woodburner.
After I brush my teeth, I'll apply deodorant. A couple months ago, I invested (a measly $7) in a deodorant stone. Made of mineral salts, it is an alternative to the deodorant sticks sold in convenience stores. I have used the stone with varying degrees of success. Because it is not an antiperspirant, I still have to use a natural deodorant on top of it. I think it's something that will be more beneficial in the winter months. In the summer, however, when I limit my A/C usage and participate in high-impact activities, I still use a natural deodorant. Right now, I use Tom's Natural Deodorant. I love Tom's product, though I haven't been too thrilled with the deodorant. The Daily Green rates other natural deodorants here. If you're interested in the deodorant stone you can buy it, like the reusable cotton rounds, from Amazon.com.
In the shower, I also use a Preserve razor which, like the toothbrush, uses little plastic to begin with and is 100% post-consumer. I know I can count on Preserve to make quality recycled products. For soap, I again choose a Sappo Hill brand soap that is bought without packaging.
There are many other ways to save waste in the bathroom. When discussing waste-free habits, I don't think we can ignore energy usage. Living inefficiently and irresponsibly in terms of energy/electricity is a major waste. My brother showers in the dark. Fortunately for me, I have a window in my bathroom, so I just rarely turn on the lights. And you can always be green when you can't be waste-free. Saving water is key as well. I never leave the water running while brushing my teeth, while lathering my hair, while shaving, or while washing my face until it's time to rinse; and shower time is always limited.
I obviously left out a lot of my routine here, and that's simple because cosmetics, shampoos/conditioners, etc don't always have waste-free solutions (See the links in the last section for alternatives I have not yet explored). In these cases, the ingredients used in your products are just as important. If there's something you can't buy as a reusable, buy a natural and organic alternative to today's neo-traditional standards instead. It takes a while to get into a new habit, but after that, it's easy being green.
Finding Alternative Alternatives
There are some waste-free alternatives I have not yet tried. For example...
- In addition to green toothbrushes, there are options for flossing as well. If you have a store like Whole Foods, MOM's Organic Market, Trader Joe's, or another natural market nearby, you may want to check if they have dental floss made of natural, not synthetic, fibers. Also remember that less packaging is always more. No dental floss? Opt for natural, wooden toothpicks. (The only reason I haven't switched to natural dental floss is because a couple years ago I bought a couple years worth of floss that worked with the REACH® Access® Flosser. I see now that it's a lot of plastic to accompany such a little bit of floss, but I bought it at a time when I needed incentive to make me floss in the first place, this made it easy. My policy, however, is to use what I have until it's been exhausted [so long as it doesn't affect my health] instead of throwing out perfectly usable products.)
- Instead of liquid shampoo in a plastic bottle, there are bar shampoos. Check out the list of bar shampoos on Nature Mom's Blog.
- I don't know of any waste-free conditioners, but you can create your own hair conditioning treatments. Last week, I made a banana, honey and egg hair conditioner
- I also am not familiar with any waste-free makeups. Until I know of any, I buy organic, natural, mineral makeup that doesn't use the dangerous and unhealthy chemicals that impregnate cosmetic aisles and counters across the country.
Resources:
1) The Story of Stuff. Web. 05 Sept. 2011.
2) Rufus, Anneli, and Kristan Lawson. "Exporting Garbage What's the Deal with Rich Countries Shoving All Their Trash to Developing Countries?" Mother Nature Network. 6 May 2008. Web. 5 Sept. 2011. <http://www.mnn.com/money/sustainable-business-practices/stories/exporting-garbage>
3) Rastogi, Nina Shen. "Contact Lenses Produce Trash, but Their Environmental Impact Is Minimal." The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - The Washington Post. 26 Jan. 2010. Web. 05 Sept. 2011.
4) "Environmental Impact of Three Replacement Modalities of Soft Contact Lens Wear." PubMed. Eurolens Research, 26 Mar. 2003. Web. 05 Sept. 2011.
5) Zissu, Alexandra. "Best Natural Deodorants - 9 Natural Deodorants You Can Trust - The Daily Green." Going Green, Fuel Efficiency, Organic Food, and Green Living - The Daily Green. Web. 05 Sept. 2011.
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