9, July 2025
10 Ways to Reduce Plastic Pollution from Your Bathroom
Lots of us have got the right idea about recycling in the kitchen, but the bathroom is a different story. Whilst 90% of packaging from UK kitchens gets recycled, the same can be said for just 50% of the packaging from our bathrooms – which amounts to 30-40% of all landfill waste. With a 9.5% increase in plastic litter reported on UK beaches last year, lots of rubbish clearly ends up in the sea, adding to the microplastics problem and damaging ecosystems. But there’s hope! Making better everyday choices that might seem small really can make a big impact...
Split the Bathroom Bin
Separate bins for recycling are common in kitchens, but less so in bathrooms. Choose a model divided into sections for different materials or use more than one bin. Sort your loo roll tubes from your lotion jars just like you’d separate cardboard and glass in the kitchen. Short of space? A tote bag hanging on a door hook makes a handy place to pop paper and card packaging.
Swap Liquids for Solids
Switch liquids like your favourite shampoo and body wash for solid alternatives. Our zero-waste vegan soap and shampoo bars come in 100% recycled and recyclable cardboard cartons, making them plastic-free. Made with 100% natural origin ingredients, they’re formulated to be just as effective as their bottled counterparts (also, they smell amazing!).
Refill Instead of Replace
Still love liquids? Stop buying new bottles. Top up your empties at your local refill store, or set up a refill station at home with our bigger, bulk-buy bottles. Refilling isn’t just for things like shampoo, conditioner and hand wash: 84.5 million cleaning product bottles are binned every year in the UK. Help reduce that figure by refilling household products too, including your bathroom cleaning essentials.
Upgrade to Aluminium Bottles
Our 100% recycled aluminium bottles are infinitely recyclable and come with a recyclable plastic pump. Global recycling rates for plastic are approximately 9% – whereas for aluminium, they’re about 76%. But we don’t want you to recycle your aluminium bottles; we want you to reuse them! They’re designed to last (and look beautiful in bathrooms), so you can keep refilling yours, over and over again.
Wave Bye to Wet Wipes
Every year, 11 billion wet wipes are used in the UK. In 2024, they were found on 63% of UK beaches. Plastic-containing wet wipes will be banned in Wales from next year and it’s hoped a UK-wide ban is coming soon. But even plastic-free, ‘flushable’ wipes can clog pipes and cause pollution. Switch face wipes for cloths with cleansing lotion or oil (in glass bottles), and swap bathroom surface wipes for upcycled rags with refillable cleaning products.
Conscious Teeth-Cleaning (and Shaving!)
300 million toothpaste tubes go to landfill every year, each taking around 500 years to biodegrade. Toothbrushes, dental floss and disposable razors all play a big part in the plastic problem too. Go for a bamboo toothbrush (but keep hold of your old plastic one for scrubbing grout!) and zero-waste razors. Change to refillable, powdered or pill-format toothpastes and mouthwashes in plastic-free packaging. And choose biodegradable dental floss over nylon, which can harm wildlife.
Recycle Contact Lenses
Contact lenses can take hundreds of years to break down and when flushed or washed away, they contribute to the microplastics problem. Then there are all the blister packs – especially from daily disposables. Even monthly lenses generate considerable plastic waste, thanks to bottles of cleaning solution. Scientists are working on biodegradable lenses, but they’re not there just yet. In the meantime, find an optician that offers a recycling scheme for both contact lenses and their packaging.
Replace Plastic Shower Puffs
Mesh shower puffs and synthetic sponges are difficult to recycle, so often end up in landfill or waterways. Replace yours with an organic natural loofah (a type of dried gourd), or put a bar of soap in a natural fabric soap saver. You can also try making a new shower puff out of an old towel, or crocheting one with cotton yarn. Don’t throw out your old plastic shower puff – we’ve seen them upcycled into net bags, clothing trims and even decorative wreaths!
Rethink Toilet Paper
Toilet roll often comes wrapped in unrecyclable soft plastic. Seek out paper-wrapped rolls, which are becoming more common in supermarkets. If you have storage, bulk-buying your loo rolls in advance means much less waste. Sign up for an eco-friendly toilet roll subscription to get recycled or more sustainable rolls delivered to your door.
Switch Sanitary Products
Over 28,000 tonnes of waste is generated from menstrual products in the UK annually, and millions of sanitary items are flushed down the toilet every day. Instead of single-use tampons or towels, try menstrual cups, washable pads or period pants. A menstrual cup is thought to generate 0.4% of the plastic waste of pads and 6% of that of tampons during its ten-year lifespan. Proof that small decisions really can lead to meaningful change!
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