My love-hate relationship with plastic + 8 tips on how to reduce plastic use in the bathroom

With the current community quarantine we’re undergoing right now because of COVID-19, I’m sure a lot of moms like me felt derailed with my usual schedule. Husband and kids are at home, we can’t go out because of the virus scare, so what’s left to do?

If you saw the photos taken from Wuhan, China when they also had a lockdown, you can see blue skies, no smog, no traffic… A lot of people concluded that Mother Earth is just taking her time to heal.

Now that Metro Manila is under community quarantine, let’s just think that our environment needs to heal too. And while Mother Earth is healing, it’s also time to declutter inside our homes.

Part of my decluttering and living a minimalist life is to reduce plastic use. I have a love-hate relationship with plastic, I hate that when improperly disposed, they can cause damage to the oceans and waterways. I still need plastic in my life though especially when it comes to food storage and packaging. Plastic packaging on food is more convenient and offers more benefits. It protects our food from contamination or damage by moisture, light, humidity, gases, microorganisms, and insects. Aside from protection, plastic also helps in preservation and prolonging the shelf life of food thereby reducing food wastage. A good example is your child’s baon like a pack of biscuit, it’s packed in plastic to ensure that it’s clean and remains fresh and crunchy. Sayang naman if that cookie or biscuit became contaminated or soft to the point that your child won’t eat it. That’s food wastage…. did you know that food waste is more harmful to the environment than plastic?

During this quarantine too, having food that’s safe and well-preserved thanks to its packaging is more important. Food safety is non-negotiable for me so I’ll just focus on other areas where I can reduce our plastic use. Another biggest source of plastic waste is the bathroom. If you’ll take a look at your bathroom, you’ll see bottles of shampoo and conditioner, soaps, facial wash, sanitary pads, etc.

Here are some tips to reduce plastic use in the bathroom

1. Switch to shampoo bars

Shampoo and conditioner bars are widely available locally. They also claim that it’s more economical (tipid) than using liquid shampoo and conditioners. If you can also request for a paper packaging instead of plastic when you buy, that’s a plus!

2. Buy in bulk

If you think you are saving money by buying sachets or tingi, then you’re wrong. When you buy shampoo in sachet, you are paying for that small amount of product and the sachet packaging. If you add up the cost, you’ll realize that buying in bulk saves you more money.

3. Use multi-purpose products

We are using a body wash/shampoo/conditioner in one product, that means we only have 1 big plastic bottle in the bathroom instead of 3.

4. Get to know refilling stations of personal hygiene and cleaning products in your area

One company before had a refilling station for their hair care products. Some eco-stores now also offers refilling as an option.

5. Swap diapers and sanitary napkins to cloth diapers and menstrual cups or washable pads (hello pasador!)

A lot of moms with babies are using cloth diapers to minimize their family’s carbon footprint. I, on the other hand, is considering of trying out menstrual cups instead of napkins and tampons.

6. Do not use facial or body scrubs with microplastic.

If your facial or body scrubs have beads, check if they are microplastics. Microplastics are used as exfoliators but wastewater treatment facilities cannot filter them out. – source

7. Replace plastic toothbrush with bamboo toothbrush

Like utensils, there are now plenty of options for eco-friendly personal hygiene products. One common product is the use of bamboo toothbrush.

8. Use plastic-free cotton buds

According to this article from Treehugger, cotton buds are the 6th most common piece of plastic pollution found on British beaches. It’s just small but when it’s in the ocean, it can kill turtles and other marine animals. We use cotton buds made of paper stems, but more importantly make sure we dispose of them properly so they don’t end up in the oceans.

I guess the key in plastic usage is to use it in moderation and dispose responsibly. The use of plastic offers convenience in my household so I’m quite surprised with the news about the total ban of plastic. What I think should be done is for the government to have a good garbage disposal and waste recycling facility and for the household, reduce the use of plastic as much as possible by eliminating unnecessary kinds.