5 Eco-Friendly Bathroom Products that Reduce Waste Generation

Indian households don’t really give importance to Bathroom aesthetics or the products they use. But the hard fact is that the amount of non-biodegradable waste generated in bathrooms is more than kitchen and living room.

Here are some hard facts.

• Every Indian household of 4 finishes 2 toothpaste tube in one and a half month.
• Every Indian family of 4 consumes 2 to 3 shampoo bottles in a quarter year.
• Things like razor, soap, body wash, towels and nappies are some of the biggest culprits when it comes to non recycled waste generated in bathroom.
• In kitchen, more than 60% of waste is recycled while in bathroom, this comes down to 20 to 40 percent.
• A wet wipe takes 100 year to decompose while a toothbrush takes 400 years. Sanitary pads and diapers take more than 500 years.

Misinformation plays a major role while choosing products needed to be used in bathrooms. Today, there are many brands that offer eco-friendly bathroom products. Listed below are a few of them –

Shaving Products

Plastic Razors have taken the market by storm. Use and throw razors are one of the biggest waste products found in dump sites.

There are no modern alternatives to razors but there are ones that our parents and grandparents preferred. The old timey wooden and bamboo brushes have a better aesthetic compared to the plastic ones of today. You can also opt for stainless steel razors. Aftershaves come in glass bottles so selecting one is easy.

Selecting a shaving cream is a tricky task since a majority of companies offer their products in disposable plastic tubes. But there are a select few that use non plastic containers and are worth trying.

Menstrual Cups

I am not an expert when it comes to menstrual cycles but reading a number of testimonials from women, I think suggesting menstrual cups is a valid option to reduce waste generation in bathrooms. In one of the podcasts, I was told that a woman spends more than 2 to 3 lakhs rupees in her lifetime on sanitary napkins. These sanitary napkins don’t decompose for more than 500 years. In comparison, you can choose menstrual cups that costs some 200 to 300 rupees and can be used multiple times.

Toothbrush

Bamboo toothbrush may be a fad but that doesn’t mean that one should not replace their plastic ones with the bamboo ones. Bamboo is a superb raw material that grows very fast. In North East India, bamboo forests are thriving and are being used to create sustainable products.

More than 1 billion plastic toothbrushes are thrown in dumpsites every year. So why not opt for something more sustainable.

Apart from bamboo toothbrushes, you can also use Oral B electric toothbrushes. It comes with recyclable heads.

Check out Bamboo India for amazing Bamboo toothbrushes.

Dental Floss

Dental Floss may be a one-time use and throw thing but it stays in the environment for 100 years. In India, there are not many dental floss alternatives that are eco-friendly or recyclable but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have a choice. Charcoal & mint based floss are available in certain online stores but you can also make one at home.

Shampoo

Indian market has better alternatives of plastic bottle shampoo. You can buy glass bottle shampoos or try making one. Shampoo bars are getting popular because it reduces plastic generation and runs for a longer time period. Shampoo bars come in a number of options so there won’t be a problem of choice.

Check out Desert Dry Shampoo by Bare Necessities

Hope you find these suggestions worth trying. Reducing garbage generation will bring down the amount of the waste from the dumpsites. The best way to achieve it is by starting from our own households.