The Zero Waste movement is spreading. In France alone, bulk sales are up to 1.2 billion dollars in 2019. And out of this movement has come the rise of the Zero Waste Entrepreneur. Stylish, minimalist, nature-influenced shops owned and operated by beautiful, passionate people have sprung up world wide offering bulk refill stations and many household items available in metal, bamboo or glass materials when they had only been available in plastic before (or rather, these sustainable items had always been available, but now they are conveniently curated by someone who took the time to make sure they were ethically sourced and made and now they are all located in one spot). Don't get me wrong, I get very giddy, animated and excited with these stores. I adore them. I have perused many of them online and have visited a handful of the ones in Los Angeles. But there is a trap.
The trap with these Zero Waste stores is going out and buying things you already own and replacing their plastic counterparts with the same exact item with something "sustainable." My friend and I recently had this discussion when she sent me a photo of a pair of super stylish glass bottles, one with a spray head and one with a mister, and she was thinking about purchasing them. On the side the glass bottle instructions were inscribed on how much water to put in with how much vinegar and how many drops of essentials oils blah blah blah to make your DIY house cleaners. I had to admit, they were really cute. Here is a picture of the spray bottle. Tempting.
But I encouraged her to use what she probably already owned- an empty glass kombucha bottle and then transfer a spray head from a used-up product she or someone she knew had already bought (my like my post here about how to make a DIY liquid soap dispenser). And then save that money she would have spent on this stylish cleaning product bottle for something else. I decided to make my own, see, not too shabby:
The Zero Waste lifestyle can be expensive at times when you're paying a premium for ethical, organic food or getting cleaning products at your refill station (and supporting your local economy on both counts!) BUT these costs are balanced out when you utilize what you already own, refuse to buy what you don't need and shop secondhand.
I must confess I fell into this trap once, cognizant I was doing it, and did it any way. I had a plastic comb I was using and saw this stylish wooden one...and bought it even though my plastic comb was still in working order. Yes, yes, yes, I felt terrible but I somehow thought the wooden comb was better. I thought, for brief moment, that I was going to start washing my hair with water only and that this comb would be better to distribute my scalp's oils down the hair shaft. I made up a handful of excuses but really when it came down to it, I just wanted the damn comb. I donated the plastic one but I doubt it went far. By purchasing an item I already owned, I had created more trash. Oh, human folly!
So don't be foolish like my stupid wooden comb and me. Look around you before you purchase and you just might find what you need is already within your possession. And then when you do run out of something (dental floss, deodorant, shampoo, castile soap, etc.) replace it with its plastic-free, compostable, sustainable and ethical counterpart.
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