While the world focuses on achieving zero kitchen waste, the bathroom seems to have been forgotten. We recycle up to 90% of kitchen waste and less than 50% of bathroom waste.

“But we use recycled toilet paper!”, I hear you cry. That really doesn’t cut it, does it?

Here are some simple little hacks for being more sustainable in the shower room and less wasteful in the washroom.

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1. Did you know, a toothpaste tube is one of the worst offenders and can take 500 years to decompose? Some really good low-waste or zero-waste alternatives are now available. Check out this great list.

2. Toothbrushes are even worse – they can take up to 1,000 years to decompose, their nylon
bristles being the slowest to disappear. Electric toothbrushes are an option, but they come with
the negative of disposable batteries, or the additional material used for chargers. Though
bamboo toothbrushes are better and increasingly popular, they often have nylon bristles. Choose
one with a bamboo-replaceable brush head.

3. Contact lenses never decompose! This is a huge issue for the 125 million users around the
world. Good news is that some better options are coming on to the market, including Ace & Tate
Contacts , whose lenses contain up to 80% less material than other brands.

4. Conventional shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner bottles can take up to 450 years to decompose. There is no excuse nowadays, with recyclable choices so widely available. Go one step further and take your reusable bottle to one of the great stores that offer a refill scheme, like The Body Shop.

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5. Packaging – wouldn’t it be great to eliminate all single-use plastic packaging from your powder room?

We are loving how many bathroom essentials now come in bar format with no packaging or waste,
from shampoo bars and bath bombs to toothpaste tabs. Sustainabar has a great range, as does Lush.

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6. Even choosing the right towel can make a difference. That’s because the heavier a towel is, the more water it takes to wash it and the more power to tumble-dry it. Flat-woven Peshemal or Turkish towels are both stylish and eco-friendly, they come in a range of beautiful colours and will dry in less than half the time taken by a conventional beach towel. Bawah Reserve gives guests the option to choose their towels. We provide beautiful, multi-purpose fouta towels at all our beach and pool venues as well as in your suite.

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7. Disposable cotton buds and facial cleansing pads, which are used in such huge volumes, can easily be replaced by reusable alternatives.

8. Flushing the toilet is the single highest use of water in the average home. Most modern toilets
now have a half-flush option; others even offer recycled waste water, as we do at Bawah. If you
see these options, do take them!

9. Take a shower instead of a bath. A 5-minute shower has been shown to use only a third of the
water that a bath requires. That’s a quick win!

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