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Everyday swaps

Safety razor instead of disposable razors

A metal safety razor lasts decades and takes recyclable steel blades; disposable razors are mixed plastic and metal that no kerbside scheme accepts.

Swap out
Disposable plastic razors
Swap in
Metal safety razor with steel blades
Impact
2 / 5
Cost
2 / 3
Effort
2 / 3
Grams of plastic avoided per person per year
260
Break-even
A A$40 razor pays back within a year against A$1 to 2 disposables; blades cost cents each
Watch out for
Learning curve and blade safety; store used blades in a sealed tin.

Buy a stainless steel or brass safety razor and a pack of double-edge blades. Collect used blades in a tin and take them to metal recycling.

A disposable razor is about 10 g of plastic; one every two weeks is around 260 g a year, and none of it is recyclable because of the embedded blade. This is a classic eliminate-and-durable swap under the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's upstream-innovation framework.

The catch: there is a learning curve and a small cut risk in the first week; blades must be stored safely away from children.

Page updated 22 September 2026. How we check sources