Recycling in the Bathroom

In the average household when it comes to recycling there is one room that often gets forgotten, the bathroom. In-fact, many environmental issues start here; whether it’s carbon emissions, chemicals, water wastage or recycling. So, the bathroom is a natural focal point when it comes to reducing the waste output in your home.

In 2018, it was estimated that around 30,000 tonnes of recyclable bathroom waste in the UK, ended up at landfill each year. Since, David Attenborough’s documentary Blue Planet II; UK efforts to recycle and ban single-use plastics have improved massively (at a consumer and corporate level). So, seeing these stats is a little disappointing. Given that participation and effort recycling is at a high, why is the bathroom still suffering?

Bathroom Recycling Awareness

There is a lot of confusion when it comes to what can and cannot be recycled generally. I know I’ve made mistakes, I suspect you have too. It can be incredibly difficult to ascertain what can be sometimes.

Among others, all of the following can (and should) be recycled:

• Shampoo/Conditioner bottles.
• Bubble Bath and shower bottles.
• Glass pots/bottles (such as perfumes and creams).
• Aerosols (such as those used for shaving foam, deodorant or air fresheners).
• Bleach and bathroom cleaner bottles.
• Cardboard (such as the toilet roll tubes or boxes and packaging that many things come in).
• Plastic moisturiser containers.

Are there any things that you didn’t know or surprised you here? If not, fantastic but if so then you aren’t alone. Just remember that the bottles being recyclable does not necessarily mean that the lids can and to separate if need be. For general plastic bottles and screw tops, this is not an issue (and should remain on). Spray tops, metallic and other material tops for example should certainly be checked and removed if necessary.

Taboo

There is still some taboo around bathroom talk. What happens in the bathroom stays in the bathroom (unless you have a small human with boundary issues). For many it is a place of privacy and respite and many don’t like others to know what was going on in there. This can lead to embarrassment and awkwardness when leaving with recycling products that could give a clear indication of what went down during the last visit.

Convenience

It isn’t unsurprising that convenience can be a factor for some. Without casting aspersions or making assumptions; we all do so for different reasons and for some it isn’t environmental conservation. So, in some scenarios; stuff gets thrown in the bathroom bin, that gets tipped into the general (landfill) waste bin when collection is due. No sorting, as it is time consuming and confusing. Also, in many homes the bathroom is on a different floor to the recycling. It might seem lazy, but I can see many not moving rubbish about the whole house.

In the UK; a typical household kitchen has bins or bags for recycling, general and food waste. Meaning, things are sorted when thrown away rather than after. Employing a similar approach to the kitchen might work here! Either a second bin for recycling or a bag for recycling that can be moved when the recycling collection is due and taking an especially DIY approach to the tools you use to clean.