Lesson Twenty-Seven: Eco Home Products
Four major plastic waste culprits in your home and what to swap them out with
The four big culprits are:
1) CLEANING SPRAY
In the US*, 35 million plastic bottles are thrown away each year. But do we really need all that plastic?
ALTERNATIVE: I recommend OneTab.
This company removes the need for plastic bottles and all of that water. All you need is 1 spray bottle, tap water, and one of their tabs and voila! You’re set! They have All-Purpose, Glass, and Bathroom options! (Bonus, they’re Canadian).
Price: $10.95 for 4 tabs at OneTabs.ca
2) DISH DETERGENT
Similar to the cleaning supplies, we waste a lot of plastic transporting and storing dish detergent. But what if we cut it all out and add the water ourselves?
Dish detergent contains phosphate. When too much gets into our waterways, we get algae blooms which lead to dead zones in our lakes.
ALTERNATIVE: I recommend a Dish Washing Block.
All you need is a thick bristled brush to scrub up against your block and you’re dishes will be sparkly clean with no plastic involved!
Price: $15.98 for 1 block on well.ca (they last about 6 months each)!
3) LAUNDRY DETERGENT
Over 30 billion of loads of laundry are done in North America each year, and the environmental impact is massive.
ALTERNATIVE: I recommend TruEarth Laundry Strips
This company concentrates the detergents into eco-strips which use minimum amounts of packaging (their packaging is only paper and can be recycled).
Price: $16.95 for 32 loads on Amazon (Pro Tip: Amazon is actually $3 less than if you buy directly from TruEarth)
4) TOOTHBRUSHES
Every single toothbrush made since the 1930s (when they switched to all plastic designs) is still out there in the world somewhere, living on as a piece of trash.
ALTERNATIVE: I recommend Bamboo Toothbrushes
The handles are biodegradable, the packaging is recyclable, and the bristles can be sourced and disposed of ethically too!
Price: $10-$17 for 8-12 brushes Amazon has a great variety as well as local health stores
My turn to hear from you!!
I know I left some other big waste culprits out like paper towels and body soap. Let me know what some of your waste culprits are and I’ll try and group them into another lesson!
