Reducing a plastic footprint starts at the smallest levels during a daily routine. Begin the moment you wake up and prepare for the day. The bathroom offers a place to replace plastic items with alternative solutions and start each day looking fresh and plastic-free!
MICROBEADS
Products containing microbeads (the small plastic pieces found in a variety of bathroom facial scrubs and exfoliants) will be sold in the US until 2018.
What do you do if you have products that currently contain microbeads (polyethylene or polypropylene)?
a) Throw them in the trash
b) Empty contents in the drain and recycle container
c) Empty contents into the trash and recycle container
d) None of the above
Pearly Whites: Use a bamboo or metal toothbrush and a stainless steel tongue scraper. When you are finished with your bamboo toothbrush, soak the brush in water to release the bristles and compost the handle.
Smooth Skin: Shave with metal razors (non-slip for women can be a life-saver!).
Make Bubbles: Replace plastic loofahs with a sea sponge, biodegradable konjac sponge or wooden body brush.
Switch to Bars: Bar soap, bar shampoo and bar shaving cream come wrapped in twine or recycled paper and stay plastic-free when you store them on squares of bamboo.
Storage Ideas: Consider bamboo, wood and basket storage ideas for bathroom items to cut down on plastic containers/holders.
Bath Mat Alternatives: Try rubber, bamboo or even hand towels as bath mats instead of
PVC and plastic mats.
Cover Your Shower: Hemp, Cotton and Linen are good alternatives to vinyl and plastic shower curtains - for the DIY take an old bed sheet and cover it with beeswax - this is a natural water repellent. Re-purpose jewelry as shower-hooks to hang your new curtain!
MICROBEADS
What do you do if you have products that currently contain microbeads (polyethylene or polypropylene)?
a) Throw them in the trash
b) Empty contents in the drain and recycle container
c) Empty contents into the trash and recycle container
d) None of the above
*http://www.5gyres.org/takeaction
Go Plastics-Free and end your plastic habits today!
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