Top tips to green your bathroom
Everyday thousands of wet wipes, cotton buds, sanitary products and other unsuitable items are flushed down toilets in Ireland instead of being put in the bin. We hear from the experts on how our everyday bathroom waste can be reduced.
October is National Reuse Month. Bathroom essentials and toiletries might not be the first thing to come to mind when thinking of reusable items, but there are plenty of small steps you can take that will have a huge impact.
We caught up with two zero-waste experts and an engineer with Irish Water to have a look at what we can reuse in the bathroom.
“My top tip would be to replace single-use tampons and pads with reusable period products, such as the Mooncup menstrual cup.
Disposable tampons and pads can contain up to 90% plastic.
In Ireland alone, an estimated 700,000-period products get used and chucked every day. They end up in landfills or get flushed down the toilet. When flushed down the loo, they block our drain systems and at worst, end up in our waterways and on our beaches. It costs millions of euros every year to clear blocked drains and sewer pipes.
By switching to a reusable Mooncup menstrual cup you’ll be making a huge positive impact on the environment as well as supporting a small ethical business.
You only need one Mooncup and then you’re covered for both light and heavy days. Not only will you save money, but you will also be putting an end to the waste and discomfort of disposable tampons and pads.
Reusable pads or period pants are also great, too. Choosing the right reusable menstrual product for you is a personal thing.
Different products may feel right on different days and nights during your period as well as at different times in your life, so it’s just about finding the right one for you.
Remember the toilet is not a bin, so if you do need to use disposables please think before you flush and put them in the bin.”
“Life is busy, we have too much going on and not enough time to deal with it all!
Our laundry piles up in the basket, our dishes just don't quit, and we’re just amazed if we can get to the end of the week without pulling something slimy - which we forgot to cook in time - out of the back of the fridge.
Yes, I know you can relate to that...
But there's one thing we must keep in mind, even when life is just at its craziest: Good planets are hard to find so we must look after our own!
When it comes to my hygiene routine, I avoid all things plastic and/or disposable and that includes earbuds. I've recently found reusable earbuds and they were a game-changer. As a busy mom of two young kids, earbuds can come in handy but the thought of throwing them 'away' every time we needed to use one was killing me.
When it comes to avoiding disposables, another great tip is on plasters. My kids love playing outdoors and the whole rough-and-tumble which will invariably result in a little scratch or cut.
We have found compostable plasters that don't hurt the planet and work just as well as the conventional ones would. I'd strongly recommend you to check these little zero-waste heroes!”
“As an engineer and a mum, I am very conscious of how our activities – at home and at work - can impact the environment.
But my message for Reuse Month is that there are lots of things we all can do at home to play our part in preventing marine litter and ultimately protecting the environment. My top tip is to put a bin in the bathroom and use it to dispose of things like wipes, sanitary products, and plasters.
These items should never be flushed down the toilet. Every single month, Irish Water clears approximately 2,000 blockages from our wastewater systems.
About three-quarters of blockages are caused by inappropriate items such as wipes and sanitary products being flushed down the toilet. These blockages can cause drains to overflow, spilling raw sewage onto our streets, gardens, and waterways – and can ultimately end up in the sea and rivers, damaging marine life. So this national reuse month I would urge the public to ‘Think Before You Flush’ - only the 3 Ps; pee; poo and paper should be flushed down the toilet and everything else should go in the bin.”
Think Before You Flush is a public awareness campaign operated by Clean Coasts in partnership with Irish Water, which addresses the issue of flushing these unsuitable items down the toilet. The message is simple: Only the 3 P’s should be flushed: pee, poo, and paper – everything else belongs in the bin.
For more information visit www.thinkbeforeyouflush.org
