“You don’t have to make a lot of changes at once, and in fact I don’t recommend that you do. Using up what you already have and slowly transitioning to different habits is far more sustainable, both for the planet and for your sanity” — Emma Walmsley on Small Footprints, Big Adventures

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Refuse

• Many bathroom products, ranging from toilet scrubbers to Q-tips, are commonly made from plastic. However, alternatives derived from wood or other biodegradable materials can be more sustainable in many cases.

Reduce

• If transitioning away from conventional toothpaste or lotion (see below) feels like too daunting of a task, a valuable method of reducing packaging waste is to purchase in the biggest bulk possible. For example, per unit of volume, a larger lotion bottle is likely to have less plastic waste associated with it than a smaller shampoo bottle.

Reuse

• Clean the World has a hotel recycling program that sanitizes and recycles lightly used bars of soap and plastic bottles. These saved soap products get sent to families in countries with high death rates due to respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases like pneumonia and cholera. 
• Consider purchasing products with refillable bottles:
  • Bite: toothpaste tablets in refillable glass containers.
  • Humankind: refillable deodorant tubes and reduced-waste dental and shower products.
  • Plaine Products: refillable aluminum bottles with lotion and other bathroom products.

• Reusable menstrual products, like silicone menstrual cups or organic cotton pads are great waste-free alternatives to disposable ones.
  • Zerowaste.com highlights the LCA Group, who determined that switching to cosmetics with reusable containers could reduce carbon emissions associated with those products by up to 70%.
• Save your old toothbrushes to use as scrubbers for your sink, shower, and toilet!

Recycle

• Curbside recycling programs accept plastic skincare, hair care, and other cosmetic bottles with a #1 or #2 recycling symbol. 
• Terracycle has partnered with Garnier for a free recycling program–otherwise, find recycling facilities in your area using this Terracycle recycling map.

Compost

• Keep a bin in your bathroom to compost Q-tips, hair, tissues, and paper towels.

Example Zero Waste Alternatives

• This Volunteer Card article recommends nine zero-waste toiletry products, from toothpaste tablets to refillable deodorant tubes.
  • Shampoo and conditioner bars have much less packaging and are lighter than bottled liquid products.
• EcoPods are power-based amenities that come in single-use, non-plastic containers. The waterless formula makes for lightweight transportation and a reduced carbon footprint, and the compostable single-use pods eliminate the risk of bacteria contamination from liquid dispensers.