Reducing Plastic Waste with Reco Toothtabs

Recently I was sent a trial pack of Reco Toothtabs. This product is incredibly novel. Reco is on a mission to reduce plastic waste and their toothtabs are but one product which offers a plastic-free solution to everyday items. The arrival of this product really got me thinking about the sheer amount of plastic in our bathroom at home.

Reco Toothtabs

First of all, I want to introduce you to this amazing new product! Toothtabs include all the ingredients commonly used in toothpaste but without all the plastic packaging. Each toothtab contains 1450ppm of fluoride, the same amount of fluoride found in traditional toothpaste per individual use. They have the same minty taste and smell of regular toothpaste only they come in tablet form.

Their size means they are perfect to take with you when travelling. We recently visited Rome and I took along my toothtabs. They saved so much space in my suitcase in comparison to regular toothpaste. I simply packed as many as I would need for the trip!

How to use Reco Toothtabs

The toothtabs are incredibly easy to use:

• Simply remove one tab from the packet.
• Place one toothtab into your mouth.
• Chew the toothtab to activate it. It will form a paste in your mouth.
• Wet your toothbrush and brush your teeth as normal.

The toothtabs leave a fresh, minty taste in your mouth which isn’t overbearing.

One of my daughters struggles with toothpaste. Unfortunately, she finds brushing her teeth difficult because of the foamy texture in her mouth. She has been using Reco toothtabs alongside me. After a week of use, she finds the texture much more pleasant than regular toothpaste. Not only me, but my eldest daughter is also a total convert to this new and innovative product.

One Month’s Trial!

For a 31 day trial of toothtabs for the bargain price of £3.00 + free delivery, check out the toothtabs page. If you like the product, you can make one-off purchases or alternatively, the company also offer a subscription service so you can save even more money!

Eco-Friendly

I not only enjoy the way my mouth feels during and after brushing with my new toothtabs, but I also commend the way Reco seek to produce eco-friendly products. The average person will use 276 tubes of toothpaste in their lifetime. And where does all that plastic go – a landfill! My toothtabs arrived in a glassine bag which is fully recyclable.

The company offer additional eco-friendly products. For example, the bamboo toothbrush as an eco-friendly alternative to plastic toothbrushes. Another great plastic alternative that caught my eye was their bamboo straws.

Other Ways to Make our Bathroom More Eco-friendly

So, using this product got me thinking about just how much plastic is in our bathroom. I started to consider ways to make our bathroom more eco-friendly.

Shampoo and Conditioner

A number of months ago, my hair became extremely damaged after excessive bleaching. I searched desperately for ways to improve my locks and shampoo and conditioner bars were recommended to me. After using these alternatives to bottled products for 4 months, I’m sold.

To be honest, environmental factors weren’t high on my list of priorities when I first started using these bars. However, the difference in our bathroom is significantly noticeable. We have so few bottles scattered around now. And so our home produces much less plastic waste.

Furthermore, the shampoo and conditioner bars last significantly longer than bottled products.

I’m a huge fan of Lush shampoo and conditioner bars. Their Angel hair bar is a firm favourite of mine.

Now the conditioner bar took some getting used to. The American Cream pressed conditioner (also from Lush) turns into a cream rather than a liquid. However, it leaves my hair feeling utterly amazing! Plus I’ve been using this product three times a week for 4 months and I still have some left to use!

To keep the product fresh, I use Lush tins. Yet again reducing our plastic footprint!

Deodorant

My eldest daughter recently made the switch to natural deodorants. While browsing through Reco’s site, I came across their own natural deodorants. The product is made from naturally occurring mineral salt and held in a cork container, as opposed to plastic. This is another great way to make your bathroom eco-friendly. And since their toothtabs are so great, I’ll definitely be trying out Reco’s natural deodorant too!

Shaving

Just think how many plastic razors along with their blades end up in landfill sites. Eco-friendly companies have been developing new ways to offer a solution to this ever-growing problem. Mutiny now offer an eco-friendly razor with eco-friendly blades. The claim is that if you take care of the razor, it could last a lifetime. The blades are made from platinum and each razor comes with 5 replacement blades. All parts are vegan, plastic-free and are recyclable.

Personal Care

One of my daughters recently came home from school, went through our bathroom to find cotton swabs. She pointed out that the plastic stems used in the manufacture of these products wash up on the beaches, or worse. The plastic parts of these swabs enter the stomachs of ocean creatures.

In an effort to tackle this problem, earlier last year, the government announced their plans to ban plastic-stemmed cotton buds. This ban will come into force in April 2020.

Some companies are now manufacturing bamboo made swabs. These are 100% biodegradable.

The Two-Bin System

Until recently, we only had one bin in our bathroom. Without realising it, we were putting plastic waste into this bin (for general waste). This meant rummaging through the bin to find paper and plastic to recycle, a messy job! At the beginning of the year, we adopted a two-bin system in the bathroom – one for holding general waste, and the other for recyclable items. This seems such a simple solution, but it has really saved so much time and ensures all items in our bathroom are properly recycled.

So, alongside using Reco toothtabs, we’re making some small adjustments that will have a big impact on the environment. Not least because, as a family, we are making long-term adjustments, but these changes will have a lasting impact on the way our daughters consider their shopping habits. Hopefully, they will continue to consider the impact their own bathrooms have on the environment!

If you’re looking for more ways to become more eco-friendly, Lizzie Somerset has some excellent ideas and tips.

*This is a collaborative post, however, as always, all opinions are my own.

For similar posts, see my homelife category.