Switch to a stainless safety razor — one tool, decades of cheap blades

The modern cartridge razor is a masterclass in selling you the same thing forever. The handle is cheap; the profit is in the cartridges, which are a fused lump of plastic and steel that no kerbside scheme will take. A safety razor flips the model: you buy one well-made metal tool, often for the price of a few cartridge refills, and from then on you’re only ever buying a thin double-edged blade.

The blade is the clever part. It’s plain recyclable steel, it costs cents in bulk, and a single blade typically gives a closer, smoother shave than a tired cartridge because there’s just one sharp edge gliding over your skin rather than five dragging at once. Less drag also means less of the razor burn and ingrown hairs that multi-blades are notorious for.

There’s an honest caveat: the technique is different. For the first week you’ll want to slow right down, use almost no pressure, and resist the muscle memory of pressing hard. Expect a graze or two while you learn the angle. But it clicks fast, and once it does you’ve swapped a recurring plastic expense for a tool you may well hand down — and a tin of spent blades that goes to the metal bank instead of landfill.