June’s goal in our Year of monthly waste reduction goals challenge is to eliminate travel toiletries. As post-pandemic travel continues to ramp up, it’s a good time to develop some new habits. With a little planning, you can easily pack everything you need, and avoid sending tiny plastic bottles of shampoo, body wash and conditioner to landfill.
This post was originally published in June 2020 as “June waste reduction goal – travel toiletries” and updated in January 2023.
Hotel chains move to eliminate small toiletries
In 2019, major hotel chains Marriott and Intercontinental Hotels, and Walt Disney Co. made a move to reduce plastic waste by replacing small toiletries with larger, refillable bottles. In their announcement, Marriott said eliminating 500 million small bottles a year will save 1.7 million pounds of plastic. That’s a lot of plastic from just one hotel chain!
And while we loved the small bottles of lotion on our Disney Cruise, I applaud this move and hope to see all hotel chains and cruise lines follow suit.
My plastic-free travel challenge
In 2019, I challenged myself to eliminate single-use plastic on a trip to New Orleans for a work-related conference.
I pride myself on travelling light and I hate to pack anything extra, so I expected it to be difficult. Some smart planning and a few multi-purpose items made it a lot easier than I thought. Take a look at Green travel tips to reduce your carbon footprint for a list of items I pack for plastic-free travel.
The one simple change that helped me leave the little plastic bottles unopened on my bathroom counter was swapping bottled toiletries for bar products. Bar products are the most valuable gem in the waste reduction crown but when it comes to travel, they really shine! They don’t take up space in your travel-approved plastic pouch, and you’ll never have to worry about messy spills.
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No matter where your travels take you this summer, preserve this beautiful Earth you’re so keen to explore. Set a goal to say no to travel toiletries.
Do you have tips to reduce waste when travelling? Tell us about them below.
Excellent post, Michelle! I hope this is in line with waste reduction while traveling! When staying at a hotel for more than a couple of days, we don’t have housekeeping service each day. After using a towel for a shower, we don’t need to have a fresh one the very next day. The same with face cloths and hand towels. I might not seem like much, but it is something that (collectively with others doing the same) can reduce the amount of water, soap, and electricity that is used for washing and drying towels. Cher xo
Thanks Cher! Yes, reducing housekeeping is a great way to lessen the environmental impact of travelling. I do the same. In fact, when I was in New Orleans last year, the Hyatt made “every 3 day housekeeping” the default and you had to ask for it if you wanted it more often. I thought that was a great idea and I wrote about it in this post. https://boomerecocrusader.com/behavioural-economics-and-eco-friendly-travel/ Every small effort helps! xo 😀
I can’t believe I missed that post! I look forward to all of your posts! That is a great idea indeed! Ah, it does, doesn’t it? Thank you! Cher xo