Bathroom

This includes Cosmetics and toiletries, Hair and nails, Paper, Razors, Sanitary Protection and Toothbrushes

Cosmetics and toiletries

Try to select environmentally friendly products.  Avoid aerosols where possible.  Choose refills or large containers to cut down packaging waste. Use all of the product - rinse out bottles (I cut open tubes of face/hand cream when they appear finished and store in a lidded container. I often get a further week's worth or often much more - Shirley).  Use less - a pea-sized blob of toothpaste is plenty. 

Use bars of soap instead of liquid handwash in plastic bottles. Save small pieces of soap, soften with a little water and mould together to make a new bar. If you do use liquid handwash, buy a large container to refill your existing ones.

Hair and nails

Hair and nail clippings can be composted at home. Recycle unusable hair dryers in electrical container at Marlborough Household Recycling Centre.

Paper

Use recycled-paper loo rolls, then compost or recycle the cardboard tube. Use handkerciefs instead of tissues (though not if you have a cold - use recycled-paper tissues to reduce spread of infection, then burn or compost them in preference).

Use cotton buds with paper stalks that can be composted and washable face cleansing pads instead of disposable (contrib: Emma Croft Wiltshire Wildlife Trust).

Razors

Opt for razors with replacement blades rather than disposable, which are not recycled.

Sanitary Protection

Each year, over three billion disposable sanitary protection products are used in the UK.  Following use, the vast majority end up in landfill or, after being flushed down the loo, pollute our seas and rivers.   Reusable sanitary products have come a long way over the last few years and various alternatives to sanitary towels and tampons are now available.  Contact the following organisations or look on their websites for further details of alternatives and for conventional sanitary products that are less damamging to the environment:

Mooncup 01273 673845  www.mooncup.co.uk

Natural Woman  0117 968 1414  www.natural-woman.com

If you do use conventional protection, please wrap and dispose in rubbish bin; never flush down the loo.

Toothbrushes

Use old toothbrushes for cleaning shoes or awkward cleaning jobs.