Is Zero-Waste Personal Hygiene Really Possible?

In recent years, we have been hearing more about zero-waste personal hygiene. It is an important topic given the sheer volume of personal hygiene products most people use. A lot of consumers have a very legitimate question: is zero-waste personal hygiene really possible? We think so. And we are doing our part by helping consumers achieve zero-waste oral care.

The Concept of Zero-Waste

The concept of zero-waste is pretty basic. Although it is impossible for humans to not produce waste in some form, targeting zero-waste is all about eliminating it whenever possible. If we don't have to generate waste that ultimately ends up in landfills and incinerators, why do so?

Your morning cup of coffee provides a simple enough illustration. Drink your coffee from a reusable mug and you are not producing any waste. But order your coffee in a paper or foam cup and you'll have something to throw away when the coffee is all gone. The zero-waste option is the reusable mug.

Zero-Waste Personal Hygiene

Let's talk about personal hygiene and the many products we all use. Modern culture seems obsessed with plastic. Everything from toothpaste to shampoo and those little cotton swabs we all know so well are packaged in plastic. Moreover, much of the plastic packaging is considered single use. Manufacturers intend that we throw it away once all the product is used up.

Can we do things differently? Absolutely. For starters, manufacturers can choose recyclable and reusable packaging rather than single-use plastics. That's what we have done for all our products, including our toothpaste tablets and mouthwash tablets.

Both products come in reusable containers that you can put to use for other things. And when the containers ultimately reach end of life, they are fully recyclable. We don't rely on single-use plastics to get our products from the manufacturing plant into your hands.

Plenty of Additional Possibilities

There are plenty of additional possibilities in terms of eco-friendly, zero-waste personal hygiene. For instance, how do you brush your teeth? If you are like most people, your toothbrush has a plastic handle. Perhaps the bristles are plastic as well. You are brushing your teeth with a product you will ultimately throw in the trash.

You'll throw an EcoFam biodegradable toothbrush in the trash as well. But here's the difference: our toothbrushes quickly break down in landfills. They compost to become part of the soil, unlike plastic toothbrushes that stick around, buried under the soil for dozens of years.

Let's move on to shaving. Have you ever considered switching to a reusable razor? Reusable razors, sometimes referred to as straight razors, take some getting used to. But after a few days to a couple of weeks, most people get the hang of them. The best part of the reusable razor is that you never have to throw it away. You can use it for your entire life as long as you take care of it and keep it sharp.

Take a Look at Your Hygiene Routine

If zero-waste oral care is possible, common-sense dictates that zero-waste personal hygiene is possible as well. We hope this post has made the point clearly enough. Now we invite you to step back and take a good look at your own personal hygiene routine. What types of products are you using? Do those products generate waste unnecessarily?

It is impossible to avoid all waste. But we can drastically reduce waste whenever possible. Producing things like plastic-free toothbrushes and natural toothpaste tablets are what we do here at EcoFam. Our zero-waste oral care can be part of your overall hygiene routine. Together, we can reduce waste.