An Open Brooks

In a previous post,I mentioned that I’ve decided to stop using liquid  laundry detergent in order to reduce the amount of plastics I’m using in my home.  I’ve done a lot of exploring to see what options are available.  I found some great information at https://theecohub.com/biodegradable-laundry-detergent/ and would recommend reading some of their blogs regarding laundry detergent.  

I decided I wanted to try some of the new laundry detergent sheets.  My social media is full of advertisements for products like Tru Earth and Kind.  What was appealing to me was how -friendly they are.  They come with very minimal packaging and are made with products that are gentler on us and the environment.  The laundry sheet itself is very small and you only need one for an average load.  

I decided to try Kind Laundry https://www.kindlaundry.com/en-ca/products/detergent-sheets.  

They are a Canadian based company and had really good reviews on various blogs I read.  You do need to order them online though.  I have not found them in any stores.  The cost for a single box (they do have a subscription service) was $27 for 60 loads.  The order arrived quickly and if I do decide to stay with them, I’d likely switch to the subscription plan.  If you want to try laundry detergent sheets in and , you can find the Tru Earth laundry detergent sheets in most Sobeys and Superstores.

So far, I’m having very good success with the Kind Laundry Detergent sheets.  They dissolve completely in my washing machine, my clothes are coming out clean and it leaves a very light and pleasant scent on the clothes.  I haven’t done a really dirty load to see how it tackles tough dirt, but I’ll follow up when I do.  The amount of space I’m saving as well as the minimal impact on the environment are huge benefits.  

What happened to powdered laundry detergent? When I was younger it was a staple in our laundry room, but I don’t really remember when we started moving to liquid detergent and then the laundry pods. It seemed so gradual that I barely recognized the change and now I have these massive plastic jugs in my laundry room. The picture below is my actual laundry cupboard. 😯
This was my second area to tackle in becoming . Net Zero Co. states that in “North America alone, more than 30 billion loads of laundry are run every single year. That astronomical number adds up to about 900 million laundry jugs being tossed out annually. https://www.netzerocompany.com/blogs/news/laundry-jug-secrets

It’s estimated that only 30 percent of these plastic jugs are recycled. That means 630 million plastic jugs are finding their way into North American landfills on a yearly basis.”

Have you also noticed that in non-concentrated liquid laundry detergent, water is the number one ingredient? It can make up to 60-90% of the ingredients. Seems crazy that we pay so much for liquid detergent and it's mostly water.

So what about laundry pods? Don’t they help reduce plastic waste? Well, not only do they come in a plastic container but some studies believe the pods actually contribute to plastic pollution as they leak large amounts of untreated PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) that can enter our groundwater resources and water systems. Check out this article in Forbes regarding detergent pods. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffkart/2021/08/08/study-says-up-to-75-of-plastics-from-detergent-pods-enter-the-environment-industry-says-they-safely-biodegrade/?sh=6c5ab70796ae

So, I decided to focus my attention in two areas: laundry detergent sheets and old fashioned powdered detergent. My next post will cover my journey in these two areas.

I made the decision to switch to bar shampoo in an effort to . I read a lot of blogs to really understand the challenges of doing so. One blog that I’m finding very helpful in this journey is the , www.theecohub.com. This Canadian website has some great information around sustainable living, including product reviews. Their blog on bar shampoo was very helpful to me, and I would suggest reading up on the transition period from traditional shampoo to bar shampoo. Some of the reasons I switched include:
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>Natural ingredients, so better for your hair.
>More concentrated ingredients so you can use less and have it last longer.
>Saves water as there is little to no water in the product.
>Small size takes up less room in shower or cosmetic bags.
>Travel friendly. It's not a liquid.

I’m using the bar shampoo and conditioner from Upfront Cosmetics. I had very little in the way of a transition period, and after having used it for a month now, my hair feels great. Upfront Cosmetics is based in New Brunswick, so I love that I’m supporting a Maritime company. I’ve found it at select Sobeys stores, The Tare Shop, Wheaton’s and the The Practice: Energy Movement Centre all in Dartmouth. You can also buy it directly from their website. The bar costs $17.00, compared to an average of $9.00 for drug store shampoos or $22.00+ for salon shampoos. And remember, because of its concentrated nature, it will last longer than your traditional shampoo, so it's possible that the overall cost over a year may be less.

Some really great information specific to Canada about our plastic problem.

Canada’s plastic problem: Sorting fact from fiction Our oceans are facing a plastic crisis. Plastic debris has been found floating on the sea surface, washing up on the world’s most remote coastlines, melting out of Arctic sea ice, sitting at the deepest point of the ocean floor, and in the stomachs of fish, marine mammals and seabirds. It’s ever...

So where do I start this journey of reducing plastics in my life? It can feel really overwhelming and there is a lot of information on the internet. I decided that my strategy would be to start with products that I’m running out of and when it's time to replace them, I will look for alternatives. First on my list was shampoo. There are estimates that each person uses between 4 and 6 shampoo bottles per year. In Canada, that would total 240 million bottles of which typically more than half end up in landfills. There’s an interesting blog on which has a lot more details on The Environmental Impact of Shampoo. https://www.lifeunpacked.com/blogs/resources/the-environmental-impact-of-shampoo

I found I had three options: 1. I could look for shampoo products that had refillable plastic bottles 2. I could find refillable shampoo products that don’t use any plastic, or 3. I could switch to bar shampoo.

Each option had their pros and cons. Although the refillable shampoo came in large plastic bottles, I was still using plastic. These products were easy to find though. Refillable shampoo products that don’t use plastic are hard to find. One great option is at , who is piloting a program for refillable shampoo. You buy an aluminum container from the shop and then using their refill station, you fill your bottle as needed. https://www.thebodyshop.com/en-ca/about-us/brand-values/sustainability/refill-program/a/a00048
Bar shampoo can also be hard to find and there may be a transition period for your hair as you switch from your standard shampoo to a more organic product. The upside is that there is no plastic and very little packaging overall for bar shampoos.

I decided that I was going to try to switch to bar shampoo. I have used bottle shampoo for my whole life, so this was going to be a big change. Catch my next post on what I’ve learned about bar shampoos and how the transition is going for me.

Did you know that although and recycles plastic, not all plastic is easily recycled. We’ve all seen the numbers (aka Resin Identification Code) on our plastic containers and items. Do you know what they mean? The code actually indicates what type of plastic was used to make that container. Check out this great infographic from the Plastic Action Centre. https://plasticactioncentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Infographic-3-1400x5641.pngPlastics

#1 and #2 are the most commonly recycled. All the others can be recycled but it's much more difficult and expensive. In many cases, #7 can’t be recycled at all. So even though we think we are recycling when we put that margarine container in the blue bag, it's possible that it's ending up in a landfill. So when purchasing items, take a moment to check the Resin Identification Code. If it's #3 to #7 see if you can find an alternative product in a low or no-plastic container.

In October 2022, I did a virtual volunteer event at work. It involved answering a daily quiz from the website Free The Ocean. Each time you answered, you helped to remove one piece of plastic from the ocean. I started to read more on the website and then thought about what I could do to eliminate more plastic in my life. So, I made a resolution for 2023. I was going to document my journey on reducing plastic, particularly single-use plastic, on Instagram and Facebook. I hope that by sharing what I learn, I can help empower others to do the same. So follow along as the adventure begins!