7 Places to Get Rid of Microplastics in Your Bathroom

A lot of plastic is hidden in our beauty and personal care routine which gets washed away from our bathrooms into the oceans.

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Here are some of the primary sources of microplastic pollution in our bathrooms along with their sustainable alternatives:

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Toothbrushes

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Plastic toothbrushes come with a hidden cost to the environment. An average person uses around 300 plastic toothbrushes in their lifetime and most of them end up in landfills, taking centuries to biodegrade.

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Plastic-free alternative: Bamboo toothbrushes from Boonboo

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Deodorants

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A deodorant bottle can be made up of various types of plastics. The plastic used for the body of the tube can differ from what's used for the cap and dial. Unfortunately, recycling facilities lack the resources to separate and recycle these different types and as a result, these bottles end up in landfills and oceans.

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Plastic-free alternative: Refillable deodorants from EarthHero

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Shampoos, conditioners, and soaps

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Traditional shampoo, conditioner, and liquid soap bottles are 80-90% water, packaged in plastic bottles. Some of these products also contain plastic in the form of ingredients such as microbeads, resins, waxes, and silicones. These ingredients wash into our drains and sewage systems, which are not equipped to handle microplastics. Consequently, they end up in our rivers and oceans.

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Plastic-free alternative: Shampoo, conditioner, and soap bars from The Earthling Co.

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Menstrual Products

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Disposable tampons and pads contain plastic and can take 500-800 years to decompose. Switching to low-waste and plastic-free alternatives is a personal choice, but whenever you are ready, there are multiple options.

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Plastic-free alternative: Sustainable period products from August

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Cosmetics

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Microplastics are present in our cosmetic products such as lipstick, mascara, and eye shadow but they are difficult to spot. Lipsticks contain microplastics like Polyethylene or Polyethylene-terephthalate (PET) which we can ingest accidentally while consuming food.

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Plastic-free alternative: Plastic-free crayons for eyes, lips and cheeks from Axiology Beauty

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Diapers

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A child uses around 4000-6000 disposable nappies before they become fully potty trained. These single-use nappies are made of wood pulp, cotton, viscose rayon, and plastics like polyester, polyethylene, and polypropylene. This composite structure makes them difficult to recycle so they end up in landfills or incinerators.

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Plastic-free alternative: Biobased diapers from EarthHero

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Razors

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Plastic razors certainly offer convenience. You can use them for a few shaves and then simply replace them with a new one. Their mixed material makes it difficult to recycle them and they end up in our landfills and oceans, leaching microplastics in the environment.

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Plastic-free alternative: Reusable razors from Leaf Shave

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