Have you noticed restaurants are starting to hold back on offering plastic straws? Some grocery stores have even begun a push towards eliminating single use plastic bags all together. These aren't ways to nickel and dime you. It's all about cutting back on plastic.
We see it everywhere, and it's hard to deny that it's a problem. Plastic is one of the most harmful everyday materials used by everyday people like you and me. Plastic manufacturing releases a considerable amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. It also takes thousands of years to break down, meaning those disposable razors and blades you throw away will likely outlive us all.
So Much Plastic
The EPA estimates that 2 billion razors end up in landfill each year in the United States alone.
While all of that sounds pretty bleak, it's also a stark reality. We all use all kinds of plastic each and every day. Just look inside your bathroom. Chances are the shampoo and conditioner you have come in plastic containers. The body wash? Yup, plastic. How about that face scrub? That's likely in a plastic container as well. Now, many of these items are easy to recycle.
But what about your "disposable" razor? It's made out of a combination of different plastic and metal components, meaning it's virtually impossible to recycle.
Chances are your entire shaving routine is littered with plastics that just end up in the trash. Thankfully, it doesn't need to be that way. Here are just a few suggestions for going green with your shaving routine.
Your Entire Shaving Routine is Plastic
If you're like most people, you grab the plastic razors because they're quick and easy, even if it doesn't shave as well as you'd like. It's all right there, neatly packaged, and you don't have to think about it. You use the disposable cartridge a few times, then when it starts dragging at your skin you snap it off into the plastic tray and repeat the process until all the cartridges are out.
Maybe you buy more cartridges, or you opt for another razor and the disposable cartridges again, repeating the un-recyclable cycle.
Go Green With Your Shaving Routine
So how can you cut off your plastic shaving connection? By going with a metal safety razor. The razor itself is a high-quality metal. It's durable and designed to last. If you take care of it, the Rockwell razor will last you a lifetime.
Believe it or not, these types of razors provide a much better shave and replacement blades cost pennies compared to modern razors. It's a miracle how much money and plastic waste you can save when you forget about marketing gimmicks and upgrade to a quality tool.
To give you the best, closest shave possible, Rockwell uses single Swedish stainless steel blades that don't tug and pull like multi-blade razors do. The Rockwell razor blades come wrapped in recyclable paper wrap, all of which is fully recyclable.
When you're done with the blade, you slide it into the Rockwell blade safe, which again is made from metal. This way, you can easily recycle the blades instead of tossing each one into the trash.
Recycle or Plastic-Free Shaving Cream
While you're at it, ditch the inferior shave gel and upgrade to an all natural, brush-applied shaving cream or better yet, a hard shave soap. When used in conjunction with a shave brush, these sorts of products will last up to 6 months!
You'll only need a tiny bit of shave cream or soap to build up a thorough lather - saving on water and plastic waste.
So while it may be difficult to completely ditch plastic in other areas of your life, in terms of shaving it's as simple as upgrading your razor.
It Doesn't Take Much To Go Green
When you stop and think about it, the amount of plastic we use on a daily basis is pretty amazing. We're just discovering how bad plastic truly is for the environment, so businesses and companies are starting to cut back on the amount of plastic is used during production, while others are moving away from it entirely. You may even have friends who are doing everything in their power to live plastic-free. It's a challenge.
While you may not be able to completely scrap plastic from your life, you can make a big difference by ditching plastic from your everyday grooming routine. The shaving routine is culprit to being the most wasteful of them all - so you are on the right track! This alone will help slash potentially hundreds of pounds of plastic from landfills over the course of your life. And all the while, you'll improve the quality of your shave and save money all at the same time. It's a no-brainer!
