Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This page may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that I have recommended. There is no additional cost to you whatsoever.
If your bathe has a plastic curtain or liner, has it seen higher days? If so, you could be questioning should you can recycle it. It may seem to be you may recycle this massive sheet of plastic such as you do plastic bottles and grocery luggage — however you in all probability can’t.
Let’s take a look at the way you may recycle your plastic bathe curtain. We’ll additionally think about some higher choices to take its place and a few methods you may reuse that outdated bathe curtain to increase its helpful life.
Shower Curtain Recycling?
It’s impossible which you can recycle your worn-out bathe curtain in your curbside bin or at a drop-off location. Most plastic bathe curtains or plastic bathe curtain liners are manufactured from PVC (polyvinyl chloride), also called plastic #3, which is usually not recyclable in municipal recycling techniques. This is unlucky since PVC is so sturdy and the third most used variety of plastic.
Do not deal with plastic bathe curtains like film plastic and attempt to recycle them at a retailer drop-off location. Your bathe curtain is made out of a distinct polymer.
TerraCycle, an organization that believes that almost every part might be recycled, accepts bathe curtains for recycling of their Bathroom Accessories Zero Waste Box. TerraCycle asks clients to buy a field from them, fill it, after which mail the complete field again to them (delivery value included in field buy value). This resolution isn’t low-cost, beginning at $118 as of early 2021, however you may embrace tub toys, pumices, cleaning soap dispensers, cleaning soap dishes, tub mats, bathtub security rails, and showerheads — all of that are additionally laborious to recycle. TerraCycle presents many different Zero Waste Boxes for particular rooms and gadgets.
Make Your Replacement Shower Curtain Greener
Since you’re contemplating easy methods to do away with a worn-out bathe curtain, you’re in all probability additionally in search of a substitute. There are extra eco-friendly alternate options.
The greatest recommendation is to first choose a bathe curtain that’s washable and extra sturdy than a PVC curtain. Ideally, your subsequent bathe curtain will last more and never have to be thrown away when it’s previous its usefulness. There are many polyester cloth shower curtains in the marketplace which you can safely machine wash again and again. Because these curtains are made of material, they may probably be recycled with fabric on the finish of their life.
If you’d fairly not proceed to make use of a plastic-based bathe curtain even whether it is cloth, you may think about a 100% cotton or hemp curtain. When it’s previous its helpful life, you may probably lower it up and compost it, however you’d wish to attempt a small piece first. These curtains don’t require a liner, however should you can’t stay and not using a liner to your cotton or hemp curtain, keep away from the PVC by getting a machine cleanable polyester liner that might final so long as a polyester bathe curtain.
Alternately, eradicate the bathe curtain fully and set up a shower screen or shower door in your tub. More pricey, these long-term installations are very sturdy and washable. They will ultimately additionally have to be landfilled or upcycled, however the timeline is in a long time, not single years just like the lifetime of plastic bathe curtains.
No matter which sort of bathe curtain or door you land on, do your greatest to assist it last more. Wash it recurrently to forestall mould and mildew. Keep your lavatory nicely ventilated. You could even manually dry it off between showers.
Uses for Worn-out Plastic Shower Curtains
If your bathe curtain is now not usable for its preliminary function, it in all probability nonetheless has worth for different makes use of. Consider your plastic bathe curtain a small tarp that’s simpler to chop than the traditional out of doors, blue tarps. Here are just a few concepts to get your thoughts churning on how you need to use this massive piece of plastic:
- Dropcloth for inside portray
- Table cowl for messy DIY or craft initiatives
- Protect your automotive seats beneath youngsters’ booster seats
- Similarly, shield the again seat automobile ground towards child’s sneakers and common mess
- Line your automobile’s trunk
- Liner beneath the cat’s litter field
- Liner for inside the cupboard beneath kitchen sink
- Cut your bathe curtain into same-sized items and stitch them collectively to make waterproof luggage to hold moist swimsuits, reusable female merchandise, fabric diapers, and so forth.
- Cut into strips and duct tape collectively to make a DIY slip n slide
- Fold in half and seal the ends, then fill with hose water, and let your little youngsters soar round on a “water blob” outdoors within the solar
- When tenting, use it to guard firewood from rain, as a water-proof tablecloth, a tent tarp, or to divide meals within the cooler
If you want one thing lined, protected, saved dry — that is your materials to make use of!
This article comprises affiliate hyperlinks. If you buy an merchandise by way of considered one of these hyperlinks, we obtain a small fee that helps fund our Recycling Directory.
