More than ever, consumers want to ditch the ditching habit and go zero-waste, especially at home. These shops with alternatives to single-use products can help.
There are plenty of steps you can take towards a zero-waste lifestyle without having to spend a dime. For example, keeping your plastic containers after ordering takeout to use for food storage, reducing reusing, and consuming less in general.
But for tasks that require a larger inventory, that’s where these zero-waste shops might come in handy. Once you start looking at products—be it personal care or kitchen storage — it’s easy to see where there’s room for improvement.
What is zero-waste?
Zero-waste may be more an aspiration than it is a reality, especially in modern times. The goal is straightforward though: don’t use anything that can’t be composted, recycled, or reused. This means ditching single-use plastic and other single-use items such as cotton balls and swabs and even switching to reusable menstrual products. Fortunately, there are a growing number of brands making eco alternatives to these everyday products. And the sustainable options keep coming.
The problem there is consumers are so far down the chain in the lifecycle of products that it’s impossible to know what type of waste was generated in producing the products you buy — even those marketed as zero-waste.
Likewise, containers, bottles, cans, and boxes dropped in blue bins for recycling, for example, don’t always end up being recycled. In fact, only about ten percent of items labeled as recyclable actually make it through the entire recycling process. Much of it winds up in the waste stream or pollutes oceans and waterways.
But that’s not a reason to give up. Aim for zero-waste and see if it doesn’t decrease your trash output in general. Something else fun happens when you aim for zero-waste: you become more aware of what you’re using and more invested in supporting quality over quantity. The less is more mantra has never been more true.
The best zero-waste online stores
Going zero-waste is by no means something you can do overnight. In our culture of single-use plastics and throwaway packaging, it can seem an impossible task to live completely waste-free. But it can be possible once you have the right tools in your arsenal. These zero-waste stores can help you on your journey.
1. Zero Waste Store
The average American produces 5 lbs of waste per day, says the Zero Waste Store. It boasts a community of more than 400,000 working to make “small but impactful changes.” The premier destination for all things zero-waste, the Zero Waste Store offers carbon-neutral shipping, plastic-free packaging, points and rewards for shopping, and a guarantee that all items it sells have been vetted by its team. Shop all manner of home and personal care items.
2. Jungle Culture
Everything Jungle Culture makes is reusable, high-quality, and “absolutely affordable”. The company says its values in eco-sustainability motivates it to create earth-friendly products with a purpose that appeal to everyone. “By making better decisions with the planet in mind, collectively we can make a difference.” Shop great gifts like coconut bowls, candles, and cutlery, or stock up on zero-waste razors, toothbrushes, soap, and more.
3. Etee
Everything at Etee is plastic-free. The company is on a mission to develop genuine solutions to plastic pollution, “so that you can live more simply, sustainably, and in greater harmony with our planet.” From laundry and cleaning supplies to lush beauty products, Etee helps you live your best life without any plastic guilt.
4. Package Free
Package Free has a large selection of items to pick from. Whether you’re looking for plastic-free laundry detergent or a set of biodegradable hair ties, you’ll find something to suit your needs. The shop stocks some of the coolest and most well-known low-waste brands, including Georganics, Huppy, Marleys Monsters, and Vermont Soap, as well as a wide range of its own original products.
Try the handy zero-waste kits that are perfect for newcomers to the sustainability scene. Choose from a range of packages including no-waste kitchen, laundry, oral hygiene, period, and shaving products, among others.
5. Zerovana
Going zero-waste can be expensive, and Zerovana knows that. That’s why it offers an instant ten percent off all purchases when you sign up for the mailing list (so there’s really no downside).
It offers a large range of products to pick from for every zero-waste need—even a plastic-free dog shampoo bar so your pup can reduce his waste pawprint, too.
6. Eco Roots
This fun online store is mainly dedicated to hair and beauty products, with a small selection of kitchen and home items.
Check out the bundle deal, which allows you to choose 3-6 products at a discounted rate. And you can earn up to 20 percent off when you create your own hair care, shaving, soap, cleaning, or dental hygiene bundle.
7. Net Zero Co.
Based out of Vancouver, Canada, Net Zero Co offers a vast variety of affordable plastic-free and zero-waste products.
Have any sustainability fanatics in your life? You can also purchase gift cards from $50 that can be used on any online product. Each gift card also plants one tree and has a completely carbon-neutral impact.
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