Your Shampoo Bottles Are Not Causing The Ocean Plastic ...

13 May.,2024

 

Your Shampoo Bottles Are Not Causing The Ocean Plastic ...

 

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Are Your Plastic Shampoo Bottles Really Ocean-bound?

“If I use a recycled shampoo bottle or a plastic-free alternative, that’s one less bottle in the ocean—right?”

We’ve all been guilty of thinking this at one point in our lives, and it’s not hard to see why. Especially for us salon-product folks, we burn through shampoo and conditioner like crazy, and those bottles are heart-breakingly bulky to throw in the trash. 

Ocean plastic is pretty prevalent in the public eye lately (and for good reason), but with that comes the greenwashing tactics of companies looking to capitalize on those growing concerns. So how can you tell if a company’s “plastic-free” promises actually mean something when it comes to haircare?

Here’s the hard truth: plastic shampoo bottles still suck, but when it comes to ocean plastic, the movement is pretty surface level. 

Where Shampoo Bottles Go To Die

So what happens to those shampoo bottles that get tossed every day? Most shampoo bottles aren’t going directly into the ocean: instead, about 550 million shampoo bottles go to landfills every year.  Here, they’ll slowly degrade over hundreds of years, often releasing greenhouse gasses like methane and ethylene in the process.

Five hundred and fifty....MILLION.

Sure, the intact bottles are bulky and annoyingly hard to break down over time, but that’s not the main problem. The problem is what happens as these bottles break down. As they break down into pieces, these tiny pieces (which we know more readily as “microplastics”) more easily creep into the soil and groundwater, where they migrate into practically any ecosystem they can touch. That means any local waterways, and eventually, the ocean itself. 

Shampoo bottles and ocean plastic: a complicated connection

It’s still gross in the landfill, but clearly, plastic waste is still eventually reaching our ocean in chunks. Those floating garbage patches (which are really more like garbage “soup” than actual physical islands) are a testament to that. So what gives?

Are there shampoo bottles currently floating out in the ocean?

Sure: researchers have found them among other polyethylene sources (like detergent bottles and outdoor furniture). Companies use plastic in practically everything these days, but a study from the University of Cádiz in Spain found that four common items make up 44% of all trash found in the ocean:

  • plastic bags

  • bottles

  • plastic food containers

  • wrappers

That’s a pretty big deal when you consider that 80% of ocean trash consists of plastics like these (along with fishing gear, synthetic ropes, plastic caps, glass bottles, and beverage cans). 

So how do these bottles get there? 

Generally, intact bottles only reach the ocean when they’re handled incorrectly. (Unfortunately, this probably isn’t as rare as we’d hope it would be.) If the bottles aren’t properly transported or sequestered in landfills, they fall away and eventually become runoff in local rivers that reach the ocean.

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Other times, uncontrollable events like natural disasters can sweep massive amounts of waste—including plastic bottles—out to sea in the blink of an eye. 

Takeaways

For the most part, shampoo bottles aren’t getting chucked whole into the ocean: but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t a problem. 

Most shampoo bottles are landfill-bound, not ocean-bound, so be wary of marketing campaigns that automatically tie recycled plastic or plastic-free alternatives as “ocean-friendly”. 

You still need to consider all the plastic around the bottle too, including the plastic film used for palletized goods (cling film literally lasts a millennia before it degrades!)

Our plastic problem goes way beyond what we throw out: it goes back to the amount of virgin plastic we create, the inefficiency of recycling the plastic we already have, and the “on-demand” consumeristic mindset that makes this type of throwaway plastic in such high demand. 

Going plastic-free in your haircare routine (like when you use your dip bars!) is still a great option for those who want to give back to their environment.

But be wary of any campaign that tries to make it seem like the one-stop solution to protecting our ocean from plastic.

If we don’t go deeper, then it’s going to be too easy to hide our plastic problem below the surface (both literally and figuratively). 

References & deeper dives:

 

The Environmental Impact of Traditional Shampoo Bottles

Your shampoo bottle: You probably haven’t thought much about it beyond the type of shampoo that’s in it or when you need to buy a new one from the supermarket. But those traditional shampoo bottles are most often made of plastic, and shampoo bottles are usually single-use by nature. Our environment is in a precarious situation right now, and many people are doing what they can to reduce their impact on our natural world. Little steps and small changes to our habits and lifestyles can not only help to make a big problem less overwhelming, but it can also actually make a big difference. Did you know that ditching your single-use plastic shampoo bottle is one small change you can make to benefit the environment? Many people have turned to shampoo refills to help save unnecessary plastic ending up in landfill. Keep reading to learn more about plastic, how it gets wasted, and where to find refillable shampoo in Australia.

Taking a Look at Australia’s Plastic Waste

Australia has a waste problem. From food waste to organic waste, to hazardous waste, we’re struggling to manage it properly and safely, especially because our waste is increasing every year. In the 2018-2019 financial year, Australia produced 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste. 47%, equivalent to 1.2 million tonnes of this waste was produced by Australian households. This is a massive amount of wastage, which is an issue in itself; however, the real problem is the fact that only 9% of this plastic waste could be recycled. So, where did the other 2.1 tonnes of single-use and disposable plastic end up? That’s right: landfill.

What is the Impact of Plastic Shampoo Bottles?

When 84% of plastic waste ends up in landfill, it stands to reason that a good percentage of that waste would be made up of plastic shampoo bottles. In fact, some 179 million empty bottles of shampoo and other personal care products are thrown away each year in Australia. This means millions of plastic shampoo bottles every year are sent to landfill, where they will take hundreds of years to break down.

So, What’s the Alternative?

The alternative to traditional plastic shampoo bottles is refillable shampoo. This is an easy sustainable swap to make that can significantly impact the environment. When you use refillable products like shampoo, you are reducing your personal consumption of plastic and your contribution to landfill. No more buying a new plastic bottle of shampoo from the supermarket every week – once you make the swap, all you need is one empty bottle to start your refill journey.

How Does Refillable Shampoo Work at LoveLuvo?

At LoveLuvo, we proudly provide a refill service for shampoo and other eco-friendly, cruelty-free, or vegan products. Whether you need sustainable haircare products, body wash, hand wash, conditioner, or even laundry liquid or powder, you can refill it at LoveLuvo. We want to help facilitate your sustainable lifestyle- that’s why our refill service is convenient and easy to use.

Come and visit us in-store with your clean, empty bottle in tow – this can be a LoveLuvo bottle, or it could be any you own. One of our friendly staff members will weigh your bottle and fill it with your chosen refillable product. Finally, your bottle will be weighed again to determine the cost. You can also choose to drop off your bottles in-store and pick them up later when they are filled up with your sustainable products. 

In addition, if you are ordering for your office or workplace and looking for ways to be more sustainable, we can also work with you to provide local delivery for commercial orders. For instance, we also offer our refill service for products like hand sanitiser, all-purpose cleaner, dishwashing liquid and powder, and disinfectant.

Do You Need Refillable Shampoo in Australia?

Look no further than LoveLuvo for your refillable shampoo needs. We specialise in sustainable haircare products, as well as refillable products, including hand wash, body wash, conditioner, and of course, shampoo. We are proud to be innovators in the refillable product area, as one of the first businesses in Melbourne to offer a refill service. There are lots of benefits to living a more sustainable life – one way is by using refillable products.  We are here to help you maintain a sustainable lifestyle easier.  

When you decide to start using refillable shampoo service, come see us at our Seddon store. If you would like to find out more about our refill service, give us a call at 03 9396 1822, or you can fill out our online contact form. If you want to discover our other eco-friendly, sustainable products, you please visit our online store, anytime!

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