Author: An

Brushing my teeth plastic-free

Brushing my teeth plastic-free: how I prepared for it 

Once I had decided that I wanted to focus on brushing my teeth plastic-free, the first place I went was, of course, Lush. This shop was often at the top of my list at the beginning of my quest for a more sustainable life. So I went there to look for toothpaste as well.  

Toothpaste tablets 

They have a wide range of toothpaste tablets for anyone who wants to brush their teeth plastic-free. These small tablets are packed in a plastic box. Like all plastic jars, you can bring them back here after use. 

In spite of this, the plastic jars continued to bother me. I must also say that even after a year, I still wasn’t a fan of the tablets, despite the many different flavours I tried. So you can’t say I didn’t give it a chance! 

Solid toothpaste 

Solid toothpaste on a wooden stick Lamazuna is the next option I tested. You just put this lollipop-like toothpaste next to your toothbrush. When you want to brush your teeth, just wet your toothbrush, rub the toothpaste and brush your teeth. It is that simple! I never had a really clean feeling with it so I didn’t test it long enough to share with you my long-term experiences. 

Liquid toothpaste 

I went in search of an alternative that suited me better. That’s how I ended up at Ohne, a packaging-free shop that had two branches in my city, Ghent. Here they sold liquid toothpaste in a glass jar! The handy thing about these jars is that there is a pump on top which you just have to push once and a perfect amount of toothpaste comes out. The biggest disadvantage is that this pump is made of plastic. In Ohne, you are allowed to bring in your empty packaging, but again, this was not completely plastic-free toothbrushing. So, even though I was a huge fan of this toothpaste structure and flavour, I continued my search. 

I ended up with Ben&Anna, the toothpaste that I still use to this day. This liquid toothpaste comes in a glass jar with a metal lid. These materials are 100% recyclable when properly disposed of. The jar comes with a small bamboo stick to scoop up the toothpaste and spread it on your toothbrush. You just need to make sure you wash the stick after each use to keep it hygienic. Especially when you share it with other people! 

So far I have not found a toothpaste I am more satisfied with than Ben&Anna. I’m always open to trying new kinds that I don’t know about yet! 

Toothbrush 

Besides toothpaste, you also need a toothbrush! Fortunately, there are fewer choices in this area, I thought when I started looking. Not so. As good as all plastic-free toothbrushes are from bamboo made, the real choice is in the bristles themselves! The most common bristles are made of nylon, jute, sisal or hog’s hair. Among these options, nylon is the only one that is not actually fully biodegradable. Sisal and jute are compostable, but the bristles are too soft to have a good mechanical cleaning of your teeth.  

The perfect combination between mechanical cleaning and biodegradability is hog’s hair. If it did not come from an animal, I would not hesitate. As I do not feel comfortable buying these animal bristles and I would like to have clean teeth, I opted for nylon bristles. These nylon hairs are not yet optimal if you want everything to be truly ecological. Nylon 4 would break down completely under perfect conditions. Unfortunately, the non-degradable nylon 6 is mainly used ‘secretly’, but that is another discussion. It is best to break off the front part of your toothbrush when recycling it. The bamboo can go in the compost heap but the nylon should go in the regular rubbish bin. 

After this search, my bathroom is a bit more ecological again and if I may be honest, it is also much nicer than all that plastic! 

How to wash up in a plastic-free kitchen

In the kitchen, like all the other rooms in my house, I wanted to try and keep plastic out. Apart from food packaging, most people’s kitchens are full of plastic. I wanted to find out how to wash up in a plastic-free kitchen. First, I looked for an alternative sponge. The typical disposable sponge that can be found everywhere is always wrapped in plastic. To be able to wash the dishes without plastic, I first looked for a replacement. I found a hemp sponge wrapped in recycled cardboard. This sponge is made from wood-based cellulose and comes in a hemp bag. The handy thing about this sponge is that it can go into the dishwasher when you think it needs a wash. Not everyone has a dishwasher, but I found out that the sponge has no problems with a washing machine either!  

Another nice thing about this sponge is that it is designed so that you generally need less soap. Win-win! 

Disadvantage of the sponge: you can’t use it at all for scrubbing the dishes. For many dishes, this does not apply, but occasionally I just want to be able to scrub out my dirt easily. It didn’t take me long to find a replacement for this. The dishwashing brush has been around for years! Now you can luckily find one everywhere made from a handle of durable wood and a brush of natural fibres. It works perfectly. 

detergent for washing up in a plastic-free kitchen 

Washing up without plastic is not possible if you continue to use the regular dishwashing products that come in a plastic bottle. In a packaging-free shop in my city, Ghent, they sell blocks of washing-up liquid. 100% plastic-free. You rub this soap on your dishwashing sponge, it makes foam and you’re ready to start washing your dishes! 

Both the sponge, the scrubbing brush and the washing-up liquid have convinced me completely. they helped me in my journey on how to wash up in a plastic-free kitchen. I have a dishwasher (with durable dishwasher cubes, but that’s another story) and fortunately don’t have to wash the dishes very often, but when I do, I want it to be easy. Important advantage: after a few months it is not more expensive than disposable sponges and cheap detergent from a plastic bottle. Definitely worth considering! 

Wash your hair plastic-free with these shampoos

The transition from plastic-bottled shampoo to plastic-free shampoo was such a natural, easy one that I almost forgot to tell you about it. I would like to share my story anyway. So you too can wash your hair plastic-free with these shampoos! 

I bought my first shampoo block so long ago that I can’t remember why I did it. Shampoo blocks have so many advantages. They smell good without having to open the bottle, they are pretty, they are handy to take with you… and above all, you don’t need plastic! I started with shampoo blocks from Lush. I also tested one from the Lamazuma brand and now I’m loving the HappySoaps blocks. 

Wash your hair plastic-free with these shampoos: the first shampoo block 

The choice of shampoo blocks is huge. There are many different scents and colours. Thankfully, most brands cater for different hair textures and dryness. There are shampoo blocks for coloured hair, for grey hair, for very brittle hair… Everyone can easily find one that suits them. I have a lot of long hair, but it is very thin. My hair gets greasy easily so I needed to find a soft block that could still degrease my hair. When you go to a shop (as opposed to a web shop) you can ask for help in the shop and they can recommend something. Of course, it is always a matter of testing and finding out for yourself what suits you. 

Lamazuma 

At first, I went to the shop and asked for advice, but after a few blocks I wanted to test other brands. The shampoo block I had from Lamazuna was a bad bargain for me. At the time, I was taking medication that had the side effect of stopping my hair from becoming greasy. However, I only used this block after I stopped taking it. So I don’t have to explain that this block for dry hair was not very useful on my absolutely not dry hair. After washing my hair, I had the feeling that my hair had become even greasier.  

Although I knew that this block was not really for me, I tried it anyway. Every time, I had the feeling that my hair was not clean, so I stopped using it. I will definitely test other blocks from this brand. I will keep you posted about it! 

Happy Soaps 

Then I switched to shampoo blocks online. I came across Happy Soaps and, unlike Lush, they were much cheaper. The downside, the shipping costs made the price difference less. Luckily, they offer free shipping from a certain amount. I have friends and family who also like to use shampoo blocks. We always order together and so the shipping is dropped.  

A shampoo block lasts about as long as 3 bottles of shampoo. Since a block of shampoo costs 8 euros here, you would have to buy very cheap bottles of shampoo to save money. The purchase price of plastic-free shampoo may be higher, but in the long run you save rather than lose. Besides, you’ll need fewer bin bags! 

How sustainable is bamboo

The question that many people are concerned with is: How sustainable is bamboo?  

First, I would like to tell you a little bit more about the way bamboo grows. There are many species of bamboo. About 1500. 50 of them can be used as building material. Bamboo is actually a type of grass. That is why it grows so fast. Within 3 to 6 months, bamboo reaches its maximum height, which depends on the species. The largest bamboo species can reach a height of 40 metres and a diameter of 30 centimetres. After this, it takes several years for the bamboo to become fully mature. For many items, such as toothbrushes, this is not necessary and it can be harvested after a few months. For furniture, it takes another 4-5 years for this hardening. 

but how sustainable is bamboo? 

Bamboo has the characteristics of hardwood (which are the slow growing trees), but grows faster than softwood (which are the fast growing trees). Just like other plants, bamboo reduces the greenhouse effect by absorbing CO2. In fact, bamboo absorbs more oxygen from the air than an equivalent hardwood. Bamboo reduces up to 5 times more CO2 and produces 35% more oxygen. This makes it a very important plant in the fight against global warming. 

Cutting down the older bamboo stems gives the younger bamboo more room to grow. This makes bamboo an inexhaustible resource. 

Bamboo is not only a sustainable alternative, it is also a sturdy one! It is even claimed that bamboo is seven times stronger than steel. It is said to have greater tensile strength and is therefore one of the strongest materials on earth! Besides being strong, bamboo is also elastic. It is pliable, but does not deform after bending. It is also used as a natural shock absorber. 

Bamboo has many good qualities in addition to its constructional qualities. It is a natural anti-bacterial material and it eliminates odours. Bamboo contains no toxic substances and therefore does not cause allergies. 

Bamboo sells itself and I don’t have to tell you that I am convinced! 

Sustainable houseplants: potting soil

My plants engage me during times that I want to stay at home. These days are pretty common, so I am really grateful to have discovered this passion recently. Having houseplants is an art. So how do you really ensure sustainable houseplants?
Having houseplants seems okay for the environment, right? Unfortunantely the opposite is true. When you buy from a regular grower, a ton of chemicals have been used to get the plant to grow flawlessly. Mostly plants are sold in plastic pots, potting soil is sold in plastic packaging, nutrients are chemical and so are pest repellants. Luckily nowadays many alternatives have been developed to tackle these ‘problems’.


The potting soil problem


Besides the packaging there’s another problem. The main component is almost always peat. This pre-fossil fuel is mined in nature reserves. Peat consists of plant residues more than a thousand years old, and also carbon. Therefore it’s seen as a non-renewable fuel, because its components are created so slowly.
Peat is not a nutrient for the plant. Its main function is to provide the airiness and the structure in the potting soils we know. The retention of moisture can be solved by adding a bit of sphagnum (also called peat moss). There is a lot of research going on to ecologically grow sphagnum. You can’t replace peat with just one component. You need multiple. As a consequence the potting soil will seem coarser, but our houseplants don’t care.
Buying bio potting soil doesn’t ensure that no peat has been used. Peat is natural as it originates from the ground, hence it can bear the label bio. Thus bio doesn’t mean sustainable houseplants per se.

make your own potting soil


The first step towards sustainable houseplants: creating your own potting soil
The best way to be sure what components your potting soil is made of is to create your own! This base recipe is easy to create. You need garden soil (sand or loam), compost and coarse sand or rhine sand. Use 4 parts of garden soil, 4 parts of compost and 2 parts of coarse sand or rhine sand and mix them. Now you have perfectly usable potting soil. This is not easy to do if you live in an apartment, like I do. Definitely try this if you have a garden!
Coconut fiber is also used a lot to increase the airiness of the soil. Do you want to be even more ecological? Then try leaf compost of oak, beech or birch. These leafs can best be gathered during winter. Let them compost for 2 years.
 

Potting soil without plastic


Potting soil, with or without peat, and other non-durable materials are packaged in plastic bags. There are no durable alternatives to this day. You can reuse the plastic bags for other things after you used the soil, but this isn’t the answer that I would like to give. When you create your own soil you can use these old bags to store it in, or use the bags to create your compost.
These days there are some places where you can repot your plants on the spot so you don’t have to buy any plastic packaging. This soil is bought in bulk so the plastic waste is reduced by a lot. In these places you can sometimes also buy soil and transport it in your own packaging.