Refill, reuse and chose zero waste products

Plastic packaging accounts for almost 40% of all plastic produced. But you can avoid it by choosing to shop at a new generation of zero waste businesses.

Beyond plastic

May 13, 2024

Zero Waste and refill store — Mia McCormick | Used by permission

Mia McCormick

Former Advocate, Environment Florida

New feels

When you walk into a zero waste or refill store for the first time, something just clicks. It makes sense. You may not know exactly what it is at first, but after a few minutes, one fact will become clear: you CAN shop without disposable plastic packaging. That realization will open your eyes in a way that makes it hard to walk back into a big box store and not see all the waste.

Zero Waste store — Mia McCormick | Used by permission

Zero waste products

By far the largest single contributor to plastic waste is packaging, which accounts for roughly 36% of all global plastic production. And most of it we just don’t need. That is evidenced after a quick look around Sans Market in St. Petersburg. Ever seen a toilet bowl brush and holder made without plastic, a coconut sponge or a bamboo toothbrush? The items in Sans Market are carefully curated to be either plastic-free or reusable. You can probably find them online, but actually seeing and touching them in person allows you to judge the quality and see the innovation behind the design.

Plastic free toilet bowl cleaner Mia McCormick | Used by permission

Plastic-free toothbrush Mia McCormick | Used by permission

Hello bulk bar

Beyond zero waste products, Sans Market has a bulk dry grocery section, and a bulk bar for household and bathroom products like soap, detergent, and shampoo. The way refilleries work is simple and incredibly impactful. You can bring your own container or buy a reusable one and fill it with as much product as you want. Then you only pay for what you take. And you can bring the container back for a refill again and again.

Sans Market owner Eniko Olah made a strategic decision to put the store on popular Central Ave. so she could introduce the concept to as many people as possible.

“People are sometimes surprised that our bulk prices are not lower, but our foot traffic is much less than a big box store. I can’t compete with them until more people adopt the model.”

Zero Waste and reuse area — Mia McCormick | Used by permission

Discovering a new way to shop

Sans Market is a good example of the business models that we highlight in our new report, Refill, Return, Reimagine. It focuses on zero waste and low-waste business models, shares case studies and demonstrates ways to reimagine our relationship with plastic. It’s hard to believe we can actually shop plastic-free until you stand inside of one of these businesses yourself.

While Sans Market has a base of people who come regularly, Olah says curiosity drives many people through the doors the first time. As if on cue, a few moments later I see a woman stop on her bike and stare at the store. She comes inside and looks around exclaiming “what a cool store!”

Olah pays close attention to which products fly off the shelves or sit for a while. There are a lot of great waste free products she could carry, but keeping the store afloat is an ongoing challenge. So she’s careful to stock what sells best.

Bar soap — Mia McCormick | Used by permission

Supporting zero waste

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) estimates that 460 million tons of plastic are being produced globally every year and predicts that, should current trends be allowed to continue, by 2060 this figure will have tripled. Olah is part of a new generation of business owners working to tackle the proliferation of plastic NOW. Supporting them will help these zero waste models grow.

“I know this is the right thing to do, I just have to be smart about it.”