It’s time to switch to products that provide long-term environmental, social and economic benefits for everything and everyone involved. Not only is it the right thing to do for the planet, it’s needed. In recent years, society has become better at reducing waste in simple and effective ways – particularly with food and limiting the number of personal items, such as clothing and furniture. However, have you ever considered how much waste your non-reusable items in your bathroom cause? Perhaps it’s time to find alternatives that are re-usable and biodegradable.  

To help you consider how bathroom items can be replaced for greener options, we’ve created a list of suggestions you can follow to help make your everyday bathroom items much more sustainable.

Search for alternatives

There’s a demand for sustainable products and thankfully, some impressive people have created them! For example, bottled shampoo and conditioners are being replaced by bars similar to a soap bar – some brands even guarantee up to 80 washes. Cotton wool pads and cotton buds can be switched to sustainable options made from biodegradable organic cotton and bamboo. Plastic razors can be swapped with quality razors made from chrome and stainless steel. And although these razors come with a high start cost, you will need to replace them much less often than plastic razors meaning they’re the much cheaper option in the long run. 

Shockingly a woman can use up to 2,600 sanitary pads and tampons within 10 years, but now, you can swap these non-environmentally friendly products with a simple menstrual cup. It may take some time to get used to but once you’ve made the change you won’t want to go back! A menstrual cup is encouraged to be replaced every one-two years which means you would only need about five in a span of 10 years. That’s a massive difference compared to thousands of non-degradable items being thrown into landfill. Furthermore, some menstrual cups are also available in biodegradable versions. Remember, before you decide to invest in any sustainable products, be sure to use up what you already have at home. 

Recycle!

Most of us recycle food packaging in our kitchens on a regular basis already. But how often do we recycle bathroom items? It seems for most people, finished toilet rolls get thrown into the same bin as used cotton buds, empty plastic lotion and shampoo bottles, worn out plastic toothbrushes and razors, and used dental floss. Some of these items are bulky and take up a lot of space in your small bathroom bin, but also contribute unnecessarily to landfill. So, make those few important steps to your kitchen and place any recyclable items, whether plastic, cardboard or glass, into your designated bins. This includes your N.A.E. product packaging! Remember, all N.A.E. tubes are made from sugarcane, a 100% plant-based and renewable material and our coloured liquid hand soap bottles are made of 97% to 99% recycled PET. 

Educate yourself

Make your own products

The beauty of making your own products, is that you will know every single ingredient that goes straight into your DIY creation. It’s also a great way to use up fresh ingredients from your kitchen! For example, your left-over coffee grounds can be made into a cellulite reducing scrub or a hair scrub just like oranges, peaches and sugar can be made into a variety of scrubs. Other fresh ingredients like rosemary and ginger can be made into hair rinses and masks and lemon can even aid everyday cleaning. There are so many DIY options!