Happy World Toilet Day Everyone!
What is World Toilet Day?
Ok, joking aside – it sounds hilarious to those of us living in Scotland but public health and hygiene are something the UN takes very seriously – Sustainable Development Goal 6 is ‘to ensure availability and sustainable management of sanitation and water for all by 2030’.
Around the world 4.5 billion people don’t have access to a safe toilet, 892 million people still practise open defecation. This puts communities at risk of disease and individuals (particularly women and girls) in physical danger.
Water usage
In Europe our priorities are rather different, we want to reduce our climate emissions by reducing our water usage – treating water for domestic use needs energy. If you’ve got a dual flush toilet, give yourself a high five you’re already doing this! If not consider using a water hippo in your cistern.
Reducing your environmental impact
Another way to reduce your environmental impact is to consider the products you use in the bathroom. Earlier this year we switched to buying recycled, plastic-packaging free loo roll from Who Gives a Crap (other toilet papers are available – we just happened to get a £5 off voucher for this one from a friend).
If you’re feeling brave you might also want to think about a toilet paper-free option. Last month I finally persuaded my long suffering partner to take the plunge (hilarious pun right there) and try a reusable option:
You can buy a bidet hose attachment quite inexpensively – we got this model from Screwfix for example. They’re easy to hook up to the cold water supply (I’ll admit, this is a little ‘refreshing’ on a winter morning) but I’ll confess we asked a professional to do it for us!
After you’ve rinsed you dry yourself with a clean, soft cloth – often called ‘family cloth’ (search for this on Etsy if you don’t have time to make your own ). Then pop it in a wash bin until you’re ready to put them through the washing machine (we usually use a cool wash to save energy but these are washed separately at a higher temperature).
Period products
Another way to reduce your environmental impact, for those who have periods, is to make the switch to reusable menstrual products. Personally I can vouch for Thinx and reusable pads (thanks again Etsy ) but I know a lot of people rave about their cups.
When I eventually get round to sewing myself some family cloth and reusable pads I’ll post some photos of the process – follow me on Instagram @grandeurinthisviewoflife