Did you make a sustainability new year’s resolution? Good on you if you did, but big changes are tough to stick to. So why not start small? Refill stores can make it easy and less expensive to try out new zero waste swaps. This blog post explains how.
Zero Waste Swaps
A zero waste swap is when you change the way you do something to cut out unnecessary waste. For different people, different swaps can be more or less appealing. Stick to one swap at a time so your path to a more sustainable lifestyle isn’t overwhelmingly abrupt.
Refill Stores
Refill stores are also known as bulk stores. But that doesn’t mean you have to buy their stuff in huge quantities. Go to a refill store and try a small amount of a zero waste version of something you use often. Refill stores is let you decide exactly how much of something you want to buy.
At EcoRate, we know all about refilleries because we show them prominently on our sustainability map. More on that in a minute, but first some zero waste swaps for you to try.
Toothpaste Tabs
Never tried toothpaste tabs? Fill the smallest jar you can find with three weeks worth of tabs to see what you think. Why three weeks? Because that’s about how long it takes for a new habit to start forming. Since refill stores let you buy any quantity and you only pay by weight, this shouldn’t cost very much. Definitely don’t sign up for an endless subscription of toothpaste tabs by mail (how is that sustainable?). Especially if you haven’t tried them. Don’t even buy one container. Just get a few to try them. That’s one of the great things about refill stores.
If the tabs don’t work for you for whatever reason, hey, at least you tried. Since the experience was pretty easy, hopefully you’re up for trying a different zero waste swap.
Plant-based Sponges
Have you ever tried a plant-based sponge (“regular” sponges are made of plastic)? Get 1 (one!) from a refill store and give it a try. Did you know you can put them in the compost when they wear out? This blog post gives some more detailed recommendations about different kinds of natural sponges.
Rice
Maybe you have a culinary new year’s resolution like learning how to make a great risotto or sushi roll. Find a refill store that carries rice and get a little bit of lots of different varieties of rice until you find the one that suits you. Don’t get a 10 lb. bag of each variety of rice while you’re still just trying them out. Last year I spontaneously decided I should learn to make sushi. But the habit didn’t stick as well as the rice (🥁) so I’m glad I only bought a little bit.
Olive Oil
Have you ever bought olive oil at a refill store? Personally this is my latest zero waste swap and I love it. I kept two olive oil jars I liked the look of and now I just alternate refilling them. Although glass is usually recyclable, it is quite heavy and energy intensive to ship and recycle. So even for glass containers, reuse is a much more sustainable solution than recycling.
EcoRate
If you’re wondering where you can find a refill store, EcoRate has you covered! You can use our app or website to find a refill store near you. We even index their inventories. That means you can use our map filters to see only the ones that carry the waste-free stuff you want.
Our mission is to help people prevent waste by making it fun and easy to choose the low-waste option. And if your favorite refill store isn’t on the EcoRate sustainability map yet, have them get in touch with us. We’d love to have them on there!
