In the bathroom

• The bulbs will be ready for harvest in early summer when the bottom third of the leaves have yellowed

Mushrooms:

• Use a mixture of compost and soil in a pot. • Plant the mushroom stalk in the soil with only the surface of it exposed. • If the cutting takes, new growth happens quickly. Harvest and repeat.

Pineapples:

• Don’t live in the tropics? That need not necessarily be a problem, because you can bring the tropics to you. • Cut the top off of the pineapple and insert a few toothpicks to hold it above a container filled with water.

• Keep the container in direct sunlight. • If it is warm outside, sit it on the porch or deck during the day, and bring it in at night. • Change the water every other day or so, and keep the container filled so that it reaches just above the base of the pineapple. • You will notice roots in about a week or two and, once they are formed, you can transfer the plant into some potting soil. • If you live in a cooler area (aka not-the-tropics), it is best to grow your pineapple indoors.

Vlada Melnychuk

The bathroom seems like a small part of our living space, but you have probably never realised that it is the second-most used place in the house, after the kitchen – and in most households it is full of waste. We use a lot of hygiene products to take care of ourselves. Sadly, almost all of these products are packed in plastic. We also buy plenty of unnecessary products, because of

the influence of advertising. This means that there are many possibilities to choose from in creating a Zero Waste bathroom.

There are a few main questions that you have to ask yourself in order to start changing your space:

1. How often do I use it? Do I really need it? 2. Is it safe for my health? 3. Can I use another thing for the same purpose? We often keep goods that we don’t really need. Some of these are dangerous for our health. If you see that a product is past its sell-by date, don’t use it, as expired products are great places for bacteria growth. It is also very important to check the composition of products, because some ingredients can be harmful.

According to the David Suzuki Foundation’s “Dirty Dozen,” this is a list of the most dangerous chemicals that are found in hygien products:

1. BHA (butylared hydroxyanisole, E320) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) 2. Coal tar dyes 3. DEA-related ingredients 4. Dibutyl phthalate 5. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives 6. Parabens

7. Parfum (a.k.a. fragrance) 8. PEG compounds 9. Petrolatum

10. Siloxanes

11. Sodium laureth sulfate

12. Triclosan.

Once you clean out the unnecessary stuff from your bathroom, you will have more space for natural products.

These are some products that you can easily replace:

• Floss → silk floss.

• Razor → razor made of stainless steel. It can be recycled once it is completely used. You can also keep the main part of the razor and change the upper part (blade) when needed. • Hair brush → wooden hair brush.

• Toilet paper → toilet paper that is not packed in plastic. • Toothbrush → wooden toothbrush. The best option is a bamboo toothbrush.

• Washcloth or sponges → you can make these yourself from fabric, and wash them when you need to. • Cotton buds → save the plastic stick from a used cotton bud or find a wooden one, and buy a pack of organic cotton and make cotton buds.

This way you don’t have to throw plastic sticks away all the time. • Makeup remover pads → buy sustainable, washable ones that you can use several times.

The story of a toothbrush:

Every day, we brush our teeth. Some people do this several times per day. Did you know that it takes 200 - 500 years for a plastic toothbrush to decompose? During the process, dangerous elements are released and enter the ground. Eventually, the toothbrush decomposes into microplastics that end up in the water and in our food. These are impossible to retrieve. There are alternative toothbrushes that you can use. These can be made of any wooden material. The easiest way to replace your regular toothbrush is to use one that is made of bamboo. This material is amazing, as it grows very fast and does not use a lot of resources. You need to change such a toothbrush every 3 - 5 months. Compare 10 plastic toothbrushes that lie around for a very long time poisoning the ground, with 10 bamboo toothbrushes that return to nature without causing any harm.

We don’t usually pay any attention to the packaging we choose when buying cosmetics. But if you take a look around your bathroom, you may notice that almost all the products are packed in plastic. Of course, plastic is easy to carry around, but it is harmful for our bodies.

This does not mean that you have to throw away all the plastic stuff right away. Try to analyze the situation and think which products you could buy in glass or metal containers. Find out which stores sell such products. Do a little research, visit eco-friendly stores or any shops with handmade products in order to check out the varieties available, and find options that you can use. You will see that some products can be bought unpackaged, so you can buy the exact amount you need.

These are some examples of products that you can buy unpackaged, to take away in your own container:

• Dry shampoo • Creams

• Deodorants → there are deodorant-creams that are free of aluminium and come in a metal container

• Soaps. You can also buy one multi-soap that can be used for your face, body and hands. You can even make one, and in order to use more natural cosmetics, you can also make many of these yourself.

Energy

We have to think about what kind of energy and materials we use in the bathroom. The main one is water.

In order to save water, we have a few tips:

• While brushing your teeth, do not forget to turn the tap off.

• While you are shampooing your hair, you do not need running water, so turn the water off, or decrease the flow.