How to: Shop Plastic-free, Zero-Waste

Whether you’re looking to make a dent in your footprint, live a zero waste lifestyle, or minimize the “stuff” in your life, here are sustainable, green, eco friendly, plastic free stores (and their resources!) that can help you to achieve your goals.

According to the EPA, the average American creates about 4.4 pounds of trash per day. How much is recycled or composted? About 1.5 pounds.

That means 66% of our trash goes to the landfill (or worse).

New zero-waste stores and online options are popping up across the country -- take advantage of some of our favorites if they’re near you, or search a database to find the best options for your city.

Visit our Pinterest board for some DIY ideas if you can’t find a shop locally.

1. Los Angeles: No Tox Life. Products sold: Beauty & Body Care, Cleaning. Also order online available. (We love their shampoo, conditioner, soaps and deodorants.) 
2. Los Angeles: Sustain LA. Products sold: Cleaning, Body Care, Bulk Goods. Also online.
3. Colorado: Refill Revolution. Products sold: food, bath body, household, pet, apothecary. Online also available! 
4. Minneapolis: Tare Market. Products sold: Bath & Beauty, Body, Pantry, Kitchen, Home Goods. Also order online available.
5. New York City: Package Free Shop. Kitchen, Health & Beauty, Cleaning, Home. Also order online available.
6. Nationwide: Co-Opportunity Markets. Products sold: Kitchen, Pantry Goods and some Health & Body.
7. Online: get all of your groceries delivered in mason jars that can be returned and reused via The Wally Shop (get your Pulp Chips zero-waste here!).
8. Online: did you know you can shop plastic-free on Amazon? Here's how! From The Most Chic:
1. Go to your Amazon account
2. Go to “help/customer service”
3. Go to “contact us”
4. Use the chat option
5. Ask the chat agent to only use plastic packaging when absolutely necessary — and to use degradable packaging in all other cases
6. This will be applied to all future orders

Looking for more resources or brick and mortar package-free shops to visit in your city?

Visit one of our favorite zero-waste blogger, Celia’s website, literless.com/wheretoshop to see your city’s listings.

And read our interview with Celia from Litterless!

P.S. want more? We pin updated ideas to our Pinterest instead of writing long-form here.

Check out our Zero Waste Life board for more commentary on the challenges, and solutions, reinventing a world in which we waste less, and thrive more.