I Started in my Bathroom

In 2021, Drake and I wrote, "make a conscious effort to purchase less single-use plastic" as one of our couple's New Year's resolutions. Why? Despite what Alberta politicians would have you believe, we're spending the earth's resources faster than they are replenished naturally. In fact, "on average, the resources used in one year take 1.5 years to regenerate." (Canadian Index of Wellbeing). So, it is in our best interest to reduce our ecological footprint where we can in order to lessen the impact our lifestyles have on the environment. Curious about your own ecological footprint? Use this handy dandy ecological footprint calculator from the Global Footprint Network.

You may be thinking, Sounds good, but how do I actually reduce my footprint? If you Google, "How to reduce ecological footprint" the first answer is usually: reduce your consumption of single-use disposable plastics. Why? Most plastic is non-compostable and non-biodegradable and very little (i.e., less than 11%) is actually recycled in Canada (Ontario Nature). Reducing your single-use plastic consumption means less plastic waste entering landfills, parks, lakes, or oceans (Get Green Now). Again, sounds good, but how do we actually reduce our consumption of single-use plastics?

When I first started looking into reducing my plastic consumption, I kept hearing about the zero waste movement which "seeks to maximize recycling, minimize waste, reduce consumption and ensures that products are made to be reused, repaired or recycled back into nature or the marketplace" (United States Environmental Protection Agency). In other words, "people aim to eliminate their trash output completely" (Planet Aid). While admirable and indeed something to aspire to, this important, yet lofty goal felt unattainable.

However, I saw this quote (see image) from Anne Marie Bonneau and it gave me hope and permission to start by making small changes to reduce my plastic waste. She also says, "it is much more important to have everyone on board doing what they can. Each of us reducing our waste, by say, around 20 percent would make an enormous impact. But the "around-twenty-percent-less-waste movement" just doesn't have the same ring to it." (@zerowastechef)

I started in my bathroom. It's one of the areas of my house that produced the most plastic waste. Think about your bathroom cabinet or shower shelves. Are they filled with shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, cleansers, lotions, and deodorant in plastic containers? Although they may technically be recyclable, this is a great opportunity to cut down on plastic waste by avoiding it in the first place. Here are the change's Drake and I have made:

Shampoo & Conditioner

We stumbled across solid shampoo bars from Jack59 at Bountiful Farmer's Market. These Edmonton-made bars are plastic-free, sulphate-free, silicone-free, and vegan. This was an easy switch for us. The bars are available directly from Jack59 or various vendors around Edmonton and honestly, they're awesome. I also purchased this soap bar dish to store them in my shower. The dish also doubles as travel container - I just throw a ponytail elastic around it to keep it shut. I've tried a few different bars, but my current favorites are the vitality shampoo bar and the energize conditioner bar. They're easy to use and my hair feels great!

Toothpaste

I was very excited at the possibility of switching from squeezy toothpaste tubes to something more environmentally friendly and plastic-free. Drake got me these Lush Toothy Tabs. Unfortunately, I hated them. To use them, you pop a tablet in your mouth, chew it a bit, and then brush with a wet toothbrush. It sounds good in theory, but in practice, they are a one way ticket to gag city for me. Normally, I do not have a particularly strong gag reflex (insert dirty joke here). But these I absolutely cannot manage. The other downside is that they do not contain fluoride, which prevents the breakdown of tooth enamel. (After years of braces and Invisalign, I'm pretty particular about my teeth). However, Change Toothpaste, who makes vegan toothpaste tablets in a compostable pouch, is currently working towards toothpaste tablets that do include fluoride.

Toothbrushes

Both Drake and I have moved to rechargeable electric toothbrushes. Apparently, you can get plastic-free brush heads, but I haven't found any to try yet. Bamboo toothbrushes are also a plastic-free alternative to traditional plastic brushes, you can find them locally at Re:Plenish. My dentist offers a free recycling program for oral care waste: toothpaste tubes, caps, toothbrushes, and floss containers. Maybe yours does too?

Deodorant

Although there are lots of sustainable deodorant options, my favorite is Native Deodorant. This deodorant is made with coconut oil, shea butter, and baking soda instead of aluminum, phthalates, or talc. They now have plastic-free cardboard tubes that can be recycled. Although, they have great seasonal scents, their regular scents are fantastic too. I quite like lilac and white tea.

Menstrual Products

(If your delicate sensibilities are offended at the discussion of menstrual products, feel free to skip this section. However, I'm a strong believer in partners knowing exactly what people who menstruate deal with and go through.)

I'm slowly moving away from the products I've always used to waste-free alternatives. Fortunately, in the past few years, lots of alternatives to traditional menstrual products have popped up. After much deliberation in the period aisle of a pharmacy over the correct type for me, I purchased a reusable menstrual cup. However, I must be skipping a step in the pagan ritual required in order to actually insert that thing into my hoo-ha, because I have yet to be successful. When the menstrual cup was a no-go for me, I looked into reusable pads and ended up purchasing some from Hannah. Although I'm not crazy about the frolicking kitty pattern I ended up with, I found these easy to use and clean. However, they do feel a bit bulky. By far the the best zero-waste alternative I've found are the Knix leakproof underwear. These are the best! They feel and fit like normal undies, but are super absorbent (and machine washable). Knix also sells reusable pads, but I haven't tried them.

Shaving Products

We've tried the peppermint shave bar from Rocky Mountain Soap Co. and the rebel shave bar from Wild Prairie Soap Company in lieu of traditional shaving cream. While I like them, Drake has yet to find a shave bar alternative that works as well as the traditional shaving cream for his face. We also have yet to make the jump from traditional razors to safety razors. Although I understand that I am unlikely to slice my hand off with a safety razor, I still find them very intimidating.

Soap:

Although the Bath & Body Works soaps are festive and fun, they are not great when it comes to plastic. The soap pumps can technically be recycled if they are cleaned and dry; however, a less waste generating option is to use bar soap or liquid refills. I'm a big fan of the Method brand soap which is biodegradable, plant-based, and made without parabens or phthalates. The refill pouches are made with 50% recycled plastic and made to be recycled again. You can find method products locally at Canadian Tire. (I also like the Method brand dish soap and cleaning products.)

Makeup

Admittedly, I haven't made much progress when it comes to waste-free makeup. Partially, because I haven't been wearing as much in covid-times, but also because I just haven't gotten there yet. Re-Plenish offers a Beauty Collection Program where hard to recycle plastic waste from beauty items is collected (e.g,. cleaned and dried eye cream pots, mascara wands, etc.). Cheekbone beauty is a Canadian company dedicated to creating plant-based makeup with eco-friendly packaging. I have tried their lipstick and liked it!

If you have questions about what is and isn't recyclable in Edmonton, check out the Waste Wise app. It will remind you when to set out your carts and you can search to see which items belong in the food scraps cart, recycling bin, garbage, or should be taken to an Eco Station.

Hopefully, I've given you some ideas of how to reduce the plastic waste in your bathroom. Although it's only a small step towards reducing our overall ecological footprint, it still counts. If you have other plastic free bathroom products you love, send them my way!

Best,

Laura