Zero Waste in the bathroom – 10 starting points

The Zero Waste philosophy is encouraging to consciously reduce waste made daily. The aim of this lifestyle is primarily to protect the environment. Up until a few years ago, Zero Waste was treated as a variety of eccentricity and reserved for a few enthusiasts. Nowadays, the need to protect natural resources and counteract the harmful effects of humans on the environment is no longer surprising. Ecology has finally found its way into the mainstream.

Perhaps, like many people, you are wondering how to find a balance between the challenges of everyday life, your comfort, and being eco. Zero Waste principles can be applied in every area of life. It is only up to you how ready you are to change your habits.

The area of life that produces the most waste is personal hygiene. Our bathrooms are an inexhaustible source of waste streams that are difficult to manage. These are mainly cosmetics packaging and disposable hygiene products such as used toothbrushes, razors, cotton swabs, tampons, and pads. Is there a way to get rid of them once and for all?

Less is more

Don’t start by buying new items. Use what you already have first. Replace only what you have used up or run out. A plastic toothbrush or disposable razor is the best option if you already have it in your bathroom. 

Before buying natural creams and lotions in glass jars, use the cosmetics that are on the shelf. Make your own „use to the last drop” project and rub all you have already. You do not have to replace every finished product with a new one. Are you sure you need a separate cream for your eyes, cleavage, hands, thighs, and feet?

Clever solutions are best. For example, a Loffme makeup remover towel made of barrier material will allow you to remove makeup, cleanse your complexion, and remove dead skin from your face with just clean water. Silver ions present in the material will alleviate imperfections and inflammation. Who would have thought that this inconspicuous piece of material can replace a whole range of cosmetics? How many fewer bottles, tubes, and jars will go into the garbage can in two years because of using the Loffme washer?

Less Waste Menstruation

One of the basic principles of the Zero Waste movement is to eliminate single-use items in favor of long-lasting, reusable replacements. Meanwhile, disposable hygienic measures related to menstruation are the only acceptable solution for many women. It is worth overcoming fears and giving a chance for reusable solutions. More and more women confirm that they are not only comfortable but also safer for our health. Modern intimate hygiene has nothing to do with embarrassing and unhygienic solutions from our grandmothers’ times.

Throughout her whole life, a woman has menstruated between 350 and 450 times. During this time, she will consume on average about 130 kilograms (308 pounds) of intimate hygiene products, which gives 5,000 to 15,000 tampons and sanitary pads. On a global scale, it is about 45 billion pieces of hygiene products used by women in just one year.

Used sanitary towels and tampons are not recyclable in any way and only contribute to the expansion of landfills. Hygienic pads and pantiliners, which additionally contain plastic layers and polyacrylic absorbents that hinder and extend the decomposition process up to several hundred years, are particularly problematic.

Many modern solutions are allowing us to take care of hygiene during menstruation comfortably and ecologically. One of the most popular is the menstrual cup, which perfectly replaces tampons and reusable sanitary pads, and panty liners. Many myths have grown around the latter, including e.g. that they are thick, uncomfortable, expensive, and difficult to wash. There is a grain of truth in these opinions – the first reusable sanitary towels, sewn a few years ago, had many of the above-mentioned defects. Since then, however, much has changed.

Reusables for the sake of health

New technologies now allow us to create materials that meet the most sophisticated needs. Thanks to this, modern, reusable sanitary pads and panty liners could be made. They are thin, absorbent, and giving a feeling of dryness just like their disposable counterparts. At the same time, the new generation of reusable sanitary pads has eliminated many of the disadvantages of disposable and old-style ecological pads. 

The Loffme brand has made a significant contribution to the development of a new generation of hygiene products. Unlike disposable sanitary pads, Loffme menstrual pads do not contain additives such as synthetic absorbents, fragrances, chlorine, dioxins, or parabens, which can harm health and contribute to irritation of intimate areas and diseases. They are hypoallergenic, vegan and, most importantly they are ecological. 

Loffme sanitary pads fit perfectly into the Zero Waste stream. A few pieces will last for a few years and will not require buying other hygienic products. They are easy to clean both in the hand wash and the washing machine, and a glass of hot water is enough to remove stains. Loffme sanitary pads are made from a synthetic material, produced without the use of chemicals and not releasing micro-plastic particles during use. Thanks to its uniform structure, Loffme sanitary pads, and panty liners are recyclable.

10 small steps to the bathroom Zero Waste

You might discover, not without surprise, that Zero Waste solutions are not only good for the environment but like Loffme products, they also help you take care of your health and safety. Here’s a list of 10 things you can change in your bathroom, even today. Remember, doing something is always better than doing nothing.

1. Use up the cosmetics you already have.
2. Use bar soap instead of liquid soap.
3. Replace makeup remover, face gel, and peeling with a Loffme makeup remover towel.
4. Start using the simplest, natural cosmetics – vegetable oils to nourish your skin, a moisturizing fresh cucumber mask, or nourishing oatmeal or honey mask.
5. Buy your favorite cosmetics in larger packages.
6. Replace the disposable razor with a cartridge razor.
7. Instead of another packet of cotton swabs, buy a Loffme makeup remover. 
8. Replace the plastic toothbrush with a bamboo one. 
9. Play alchemist and try to make your cosmetics. Use the packaging of previously used creams and soaps to store them.
10. Instead of a pack of pantiliners, buy Loffme panty liners or pads and see if it’s a solution for you.