4 steps to reduce waste in your bathroom

What is the weight of waste from your bathroom? It is by far the room in your home with the highest density of waste!

Bottles of shower gel, shampoo, tube of toothpaste, deodorant, cotton pads, creams of all kinds... the bathroom trash can is filling up at breakneck speed! What if you could reverse this trend simply and with healthy and natural products? Are you in?

We talk about it with Axelle, founder of the Vrac'Ethik e-shop

Hello, Axelle, first tell us about your project

The idea of Vrac'Ethik was born following the first confinement, convinced that there was another way of consuming, more respectful of the Living than our current mode of over-consumption.

Initially, I was considering opening a bulk grocery store or a zero waste drive-thru. The health context convinced me to get started on the Internet during this crisis. As for a physical store, I wanted this e-shop to offer products from French brands that are ethical, useful, sustainable and generate as little waste as possible! The ultimate goal is to encourage us to individually reduce our waste and part of our carbon footprint.

The zero waste approach is only part of what we can change in our way of life. It is often a gateway leading to a broader ecological transition, to sometimes more involving but chosen choices (stopping or reducing air travel, car travel, meat consumption, etc.).

At first glance, this process may seem complicated, but with method and patience, we gradually reduce our waste!

What are your tips for reducing bathroom waste?

1- Stop using disposable cotton pads

It is possible to remove make-up with the fingers with a vegetable oil or to replace them with washable wipes. Much softer and more effective than the make-up remover cotton pads that we find in supermarkets, I can't imagine going back for a moment!
Round, square, with or without patterns, you can make them yourself or buy them from French seamstresses !

2- Replace cosmetics in liquid format with a solid or "to be diluted" format

Healthier, more ecological, more economical and zero waste, solid or diluted cosmetics only have advantages! French brand products, with a natural composition, healthy for the body and the environment.

In solid format, you will find cold saponified soaps, shampoos, make-up removers, deodorants and even perfumes. With the exception of soap, which is more common, the use of solids is less common and implies adopting new habits.

Does the transition to solid represent too great a brake? There are also beautiful French brands that offer “dilutable” and therefore refillable formats. Not 100% zero waste, but we are already avoiding the multiplication of plastic containers.

3- Opt for these 2 useful accessories for a zero waste bathroom

Who says use of solid format, says soap dish and soap pouch !

Indeed, the recommended equipment when going solid is wall-mounted or free-standing soap dishes . To be chosen according to the number of solids you have, the configuration of your bathroom and the finish of your walls.

For my part, I have a weakness for the loofah soap dish , 100% zero waste! It is used everywhere. Entirely natural, it absorbs water and prevents the soap from melting , thus extending its life. And since it has scouring properties , it can even be used as a terribly effective sponge to clean your sink without rubbing.

To travel, the use of solids requires having waterproof containers. In this soap pouch, for example, we can store a solid soap and shampoo.

4- Switch to the wooden toothbrush

A sustainable alternative that requires no special effort: the toothbrush made of moso bamboo wood, beech wood, or even bio-based plastic. Three possibilities, three price ranges.

Ideally, choose toothbrushes with interchangeable heads , as this generates even less waste since you keep the handle. Especially since some heads are completely recyclable.

Bonus: washable menstrual pads

Small bonus gesture because it is an exclusively female gesture: use reusable menstrual protection (menstrual panties, washable sanitary napkin or the cup) for three main reasons:

It's ecological because today more than 45 billion pads and tampons are thrown away in the world , knowing that it takes about 500 years for these products to degrade.
It's economical: by buying washable sanitary napkins , a woman would spend approximately 3 times less per year, an estimate to be adjusted according to each woman's cycle of course.
For health reasons because we do not know today what are the ingredients used to manufacture sanitary protection. Especially since in 2017, ANSES revealed in its report that chemicals have been identified.

Axelle, what is your Ozaelle selection to be zero waste to the tip of the hair?

The silver Oren hair comb

To tie up your hair, the Oren comb is a practical and very elegant accessory. It completely dresses your hair. My preference: the silver model.

Ozaelle favorites

What I like above all? Charlotte has managed to come up with an eco-responsible darling! In organic cotton, it does not contain any plastic: the inner elastic is in natural rubber. All that remains is to choose the material and the color from the range offered.