Getting drastic with the beauty plastic
WE’RE coming up to Plastic Free July, an initiative designed to encourage us all to work towards a world where plastic waste is a thing of the past.
The campaign asks people to sign up to a challenge to reduce their plastic consumption during the month, be it committing to cutting down single-use plastic items, targeting takeaway items like carrier bags, straws, bottles and coffee cups, or going plasticfree altogether.
While progress is being made in this area, with many countries banning free carrier bags in shops, for example, there’s still a long way to go if we’re going to tackle the more than eight million metric tons of plastic that end up in our oceans each year, according to NCEAS.
As Plastic Free July reminds us, we can all do our Be kind to your bank balance, your skin and the planet with re-usable products, writes Katie Wright bit to help by examining our buying habits and thinking about how we can eliminate unnecessary waste at home.
The bathroom is a good place to start. Beauty products often contain, or come packaged in, single use plastics but there are lots of sustainable alternatives out there. Here are four ways to reduce plastic waste in your beauty routine...
Try ‘naked’ products
Think your shampoo, soap or shower gel has to be poured out of a plastic bottle? Think again. “Naked” – or packaging-free – cosmetics can be just as effective at cleansing without the need for a bottle. Just add water to lather up. Rowena Bird, Lush co-founder and product inventor, said: “One Lush Shampoo Bar is the equivalent of three 250ml plastic bottles of shampoo, and lasts up to 85 washes.”
Opt for refillable products
“While loads of brands tell you their products are ‘100 per cent recyclable’, that doesn’t take into account that only nine per cent of plastics are successfully recycled globally,” said Nick Torday, co-founder of Bower Collective.
“Our data shows that if you switch to our reusable and plastic-free household products, you could eliminate 84kg of plastic waste coming out of your home every year.”
Buy plastic-free alternatives
It’s not just plastic bottles, tubes and tubs we need to cut down on – don’t forget beauty essentials such as brushes. “Plastic hairbrushes, make-up brushes and toothbrushes are all contributing to the plastics crisis we are facing – 111million plastic toothbrushes are thrown into landfill sites every year,” said Joanne Maclachlan, founder of The Eco Friendly Living Co.
“But there is a sustainable alternative – bamboo. Bamboo toothbrushes are toxin-free, vegan, eco-friendly, sustainable and come with soft bristles.”
Use reusable face pads
“If you’re guilty of reaching for make-up removing wipes every night, now is the time to save your skin and the planet,” said Joanne. “Not only do these wipes contain lots of chemicals that can irritate, dry out and even age your skin, they are having a devastating impact on the environment.”
There are a variety of reusable face pads available, made from materials like cotton or bamboo fibre. Joanne added: “They’re kinder to your skin and won’t contribute to the world’s mounting plastic problem. Just use, rinse and throw them in the wash.”