From zero waste deodorant to reusable makeup remover pads, your medicine cabinet has hopefully seen a sustainable makeover recently. But what about that traditional plastic tube of toothpaste? It may be one of the last to arrive, but this essential hygiene product also has an eco-friendly swap that can be added to your product line-up.

Let’s be honest, maintaining a zero waste lifestyle while you are on your period can seem daunting. As women, we have enough on our plates all while dealing with the unpleasant symptoms of a period. Seriously, it’s one thing to swap out shopping bags and kitchen utensils, but swapping out your most personal hygiene product? You have to be pretty confident and committed.

Shopping is a habit that can be hard to change over the course of your zero waste journey. Supermarkets have everything conveniently in one place but often do not take into consideration zero waste adopters and their need for plastic free grocery shopping. Being intentionally more sustainable while zero waste shopping takes a little bit more preparation and awareness of your food choices.

Did you know that there are around 1 billion toothpaste tubes sent to landfills every year? Zero waste should make you smile… and not at the expense of wasteful tubes of toothpaste. There are a lot of different materials in toothpaste tubes, including plastic, aluminum, steel, nylon, and even copper. It's not possible to recycle toothpaste tubes unless they're processed separately which is a pretty complicated process.

Going through the process of conceiving a baby can be a strenuous one. In my experience, struggling with fertility isn’t easy on many levels, and it is certainly not zero waste. My journey to sustainable living does impact my choices and purchasing habits in all areas of my life. With pregnancy being a current pursuit for my family, I thought it might be helpful to share my findings on how to reduce waste in today’s post.