As people, we produce a lot of waste from our day to day activities and our daily bathroom routines. This is true for shaving routines. Well for some anyway.
In 2019, over 5 million people in the UK were using disposable razors with over 13 million using cartridge razors. These are pretty BIG numbers. And when you multiply this by the number of razors an average person uses, that's plastic containing razors ending up in the bin by the 100's of millions each year contributing to tonnes of plastic waste.
With modern day bathroom products making an effort to be more sustainable (by using more readily recyclable packaging and more natural products becoming more popular), it would see that multi-blade cartridge razors and disposable razors are the most wasteful products that we use in our bathrooms.
But there are solutions to tackle the growing problem of razors in landfills, and safety razors are one of them. The benefits of using a non-disposable razor is becoming a hot topic, and "lifetime" razors are certainly becoming the new trendy bathroom item.
Let's look more into the differences between plastic disposable razors and metal safety razors to see how much of an impact making a change to a plastic free razor can really have.
Why are disposable razors a threat to the environment?
Plastic razors aren't made to last and have a much shorter life cycle than safety razors. It's estimate that disposable razors and cartridges should be thrown away after every 6-9 shaves. Thus, these plastic containing razors are contributing the the wasteful throwaway society.
We say #ditchdisposables, as this means that every disposable razor has a tiny lifespan of 2-3 weeks. Think how many this equals in a year - a bigger eco problem than you'd have thought!?
But surely you'd think that in 2020 we'd have recycling units that can cope with the vast amount of plastic waste that we produce, including plastic disposable razors...
Sadly this isn't the case... and attempts to properly dispose of plastic disposable razors are incredible expensive... and time consuming for the everyday convenience shopper.
So what actually happens to disposable razors?
Disposable razors are made from non-biodegradable and hard to recycle material, leading to billions of pieces of hazardous waste ending up in landfills every year. These pieces are detrimental to wildlife health.
Razor blades will eventually rust away into nothing, leaving behind the plastic handle and casing for longer than we know. Plastic breaks down into microplastics which are an environmental and health hazard.
Environmental Impacts Of Safety Razors
Unlike disposable razors, safety razors are built to last a lifetime... so much so that originals are a modern day collectable item.
Since the razor itself lasts so long, only the razor blades need to be recycled. Instead of cartridges, our razors use inexpensive, our stainless steel blades that cost as little as £5.50 every 4 months to replace. After 3-5 shaves, you can safely store and dispose of your blades using a metal blade safe or a jar. After that, you can take an annual trip to the local recycling or locate your local sharps centre to safely dispose of your blades.
The Body Of Safety Razors
Our safety razors are made from a chromed zinc alloy. This means that it won't rust away in the shower. When the razor does reach the end of its useful life, there are plenty of ways to properly dispose of the body of the razor.
If you accidentally drop your metal safety razor and it breaks, we'll replace it for free. All our razors come with a 100% lifetime, quality guarantee.
Metal scrap yards or local recycling businesses will be glad to take the used razor off your hands.
To conclude
It’s pretty clear that we as humans need to reconsider the sustainable nature of our shaving routines to contribute to a less polluted planet.
Switching to a plastic-free razor requires a small upfront investment of £24.90 but really pays off in a major way in the long run.
If we all contribute and share the effort, we can really drive change and see a significant reduction in bathroom waste over time.
Safety razors are a tried and verified zero-waste tool for anyone and has proven to be essential for achieving eco-friendly shaves.