A way to go green is go waste free

Reported by Lisa Tanh

People are looking for a new way to help the planet, and one way they’re doing that is by going waste free.

Although the way grocery stores are currently set up is more convenient, some people are turning to waste free shops to reduce their waste. For customers looking to reduce their waste, there are shops where the products are offered without packaging, and in order to buy something containers must be brought in from home.

Linh Truong, co-owner of The Soap Dispensary and Kitchen Staples, a local package-free store that offers soaps, beauty products, raw ingredients and food, said the zero waste movement is growing in popularity.

“The awareness of waste is in the news, in the media and in documentaries. All kinds of stories are coming out,” Truong said. “People are understanding the need for it and it’s just becoming so much more urgent.”

Package-free pop-up store

Brianne Miller, founder of Nada, a package-free pop up that offers bulk dry goods, baked goods, cleaning supplies and alternatives to single-use plastic disposables, said she believes there has been growing interest in the store because people are starting to think more about how their consumption affects the environment.

“With a relatively small change in your behaviour, you really can collectively have a big impact on the environment,” Miller said. “It’s something that’s pretty easy for everyone can get on board with.”

Sharon Esson, a Nada ‘convert’ said she is new to the concept of zero waste, but that she started trying to reduce her waste by using a metal water bottle, and coffee cup.

“The thing that caught my attention was the stainless steel straws because I’ve read stories about how bad the plastic ones are,” Esson said. “I became very aware of how many things I have that are in plastic, that I go and buy another one and another one.”

Nada will be opening a permanent location on East Broadway early in 2018.