A running tap can pour six litres of water down the drain every minute. Add the water you use in a shower, in the bath and when flushing the loo – and that’s a lot of the stuff. And that’s before you even take into account the impact of using cleaning products in the bathroom or the plastic waste from cosmetics. Here are four tips for reducing your environmental footprint in the bathroom.
Waste less water.
Environmental charity Hubbub recommends people cut back on water use year round – and not just during a heatwave and to take advantage of free water-saving devices from their water suppliers.
These include ‘save a flush’ toilet devices – which reduce the amount of water flushed away and could save 5,000 litres of water and £13 per year per household, according to the charity. Also, tap aerators – which save water by mixing water with air and could knock £36 off an annual water bill.
Another handy device is a four-minute water timer, which is designed to cut the time you spend in the shower and could shave £15 off an annual metered water bill.
Ditch plastic for solids.
Take a look inside your bathroom cabinet, and what do you see? The chances are – a lot of plastic. From shampoos and conditioners, to body scrubs, face washes and shower gels, that’s a load of single use plastic you could ditch. For good. Solid (and package-free) shampoo, conditioner and shower gels can be picked up from retailers like Lush. And good old fashioned soap is worth considering, too.
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Wipe with recycled roll.
We’re not going to suggest you ditch loo roll for good – but you could switch to a brand that uses recycled paper for minimum impact. For example, Who Gives a Crap is a start-up that was funded with a crowd-funding campaign and gives over 50 per cent of its profits to help build toilets and improve sanitation in the developing world. The paper is made from bamboo or recycled paper and it’s recyclable packaging looks super pretty on your bathroom shelf.
Just recycle more.
While nine in 10 adults in the UK say that they now recycle their kitchen waste, four in 10 admit they don’t always recycle bathroom items, meaning around 30,000 tonnes of recyclable bathroom waste needlessly ends up in landfill every year. So hang a bag on the bathroom door or get a recycling bin for your empty shampoo bottles to help reduce your impact.