Making the cut: how to shrink your plastic use
Your plastic free home
By Amy Paradysz
GoGo Refill is a plastic-free shop in South Portland that makes it easy and fun to reduce waste by switching from disposable products to refills and reusables. Photo: Elle Darcy.
FOUR YEARS AGO, Laura Marston vowed to never buy another single-use plastic water bottle. From that point on, she has worked to minimize plastic in every facet of her life. She shares that mission—and makes it easier for us to join her—through her South Portland shop, GoGo Refill, which features refillable and low-waste home and personal care products.
“We want to show people that you can have great selection and buy from companies that are doing a good job eradicating plastic from the waste stream,” Marston says.
Likewise, at We Fill Good in Kittery, store owner Marla Baldassare says, “I’m trying to get people to buy less plastic and to ask themselves, ‘What changes can I make easily?’”
The most common question first-timers have at either refill shop is: Where should I start?
Interestingly, Marston and Baldassare have the same answer, and it’s not something that comes from a store. “Composting is the best thing you can do for the planet,” Baldassare says. Beyond that, of course, Marston says, “The least wasteful thing to use is what you already have. But as you run out of something, you can switch to a zero-waste product. And you can start anywhere. But a lot of people start with what I call The Big Three: laundry, dish and hand soap.”
Refillables for the home
Whether filling up on Sapadilla’s rosemary and peppermint laundry liquid or Maine-made Good Natured surface and glass cleaner, it doesn’t take long to realize that shopping with a plastic-free mission doesn’t mean giving up on quality or choice.
“It’s uncommon that someone will ask about something we don’t have,” Baldassare says. “Take laundry soap, for example: We’ve got liquid, powder, sheets and pods.”
At GoGo Refill, store manager Stacy Faivre says people laugh when she says that dishwasher pods are her favorite refillable. “No, they’re not plastic-coated,” she says. “It’s polyvinyl alcohol, which breaks down in the water, and then any bacteria in the dishwasher consumes those particles so there’s nothing left behind.”
With scents like tangerine clove, lemongrass and lavender, refill day is a treat for the senses. Photo courtesy of We Fill Good.
Plastic-free personal care
On the refill side of the shop, GoGo pours (or scoops) out anything from shampoo and conditioner to hand and body lotion. “Routine cream deodorant is our sleeper-hit refillable,” Marston says. “There’s no aluminum, and you just put it on with your fingers and it’s super effective.” It’s available in 10 scents, with names like “Johnny’s Cash” (pine and cedar) and “Sexy Sadie” (ylang ylang, vanilla and cinnamon).
Other eco-friendly personal care products include salon-quality HiBar shampoo and conditioner bars, beechwood wide-tooth combs, Kooshoo organic hair ties, and Mainemade Unfiltered Skin Care face cream and toner.
Another easy way to shave a bit off of your plastic waste, of course, is to invest in an old-school durable razor with blade refills.
Dental care
Most toothbrushes are made from polypropylene plastic and nylon and can take up to 500 years or more to decompose. A bamboo toothbrush is an easy swap, and they’re sold just about everywhere (sometimes wrapped in plastic, though—watch out for that!). The nylon bristles are often detachable from the bamboo handles, which are compostable or usable as kindling. If you’re a dedicated Sonicare electric toothbrush user, We Fill Good sells Earth Smile Bamboo replacement heads. Dental Lace®, a Maine company, brought plastic-free, compostable dental floss to the personal care market. And Unpaste™ Tooth Tablets offer toothpaste without the plastic tube. Even mouthwash is available in tablet form.
Reusables in the kitchen
Stasher bags are endlessly reusable, resealable silicone storage bags that replace single-use plastic—and you can even cook in them. Tried-and-true Mason jars are food storage classics for good reason, and with the addition of pour spouts and pumps, they can be ideal for refills, such as dish detergent and hand soap. Wild Chi Studio offers jar accessories and homemade solid dish soap in coriander or lemongrass in a reusable/recyclable tin. Bowl covers, like those made by Portland-based artist Anne Riggs, are another attractive substitute for plastic wrap and aluminum foil.
Dryer balls
Dryer balls not only replace disposable dryer sheets, they also reduce the amount of drying time needed, saving electricity. For laundry that smells extra fresh, add a few drops of essential oil. Here in Maine, LooHoo dryer balls are made of locally sourced wool from farms that treat sheep humanely, and their manufacturing technique makes their dryer balls durable enough to last for hundreds of loads. Also for the laundry room, the eco-friendly Laundry Stain Stick is made by SoulShine Soap Company in Hampden.
Near & Native, based in Westbrook, has a candle refill service that has repurposed 5,000 candle, ceramic and vintage vessels since 2018. Photo: Melissa Gabes.
Customizable candle refills
Here’s a solution for what to do with near-empty candle jars or other heat-resistant containers that need repurposing, like coffee mugs. Near & Native, based in Westbrook, cleans and refills them with coconut wax and wooden wicks. They offer 23 fragrances, from Maine Maple to Sea Salt & Citrus, and four drop-off and pick-up locations in the Greater Portland area.
Zero-waste…and spicy!
Gneiss Spice in Bethel has completely redesigned the traditional spice rack using stylish magnetic, airtight jars that are small enough that your spices won’t lose their flavor before you can use them. Refill them at a local natural food store or co-op, or order refills in compostable bags. In addition to GoGo Refill in South Portland and We Fill Good in Kittery, natural food stores and co-ops across Maine offer bulk goods, low-waste packaging and locally made sustainable products. These include Portland Food Co-op, New Morning Natural Foods in Biddeford and Kennebunk, Lois’ Natural Marketplace in Scarborough, Morning Glory Natural Foods in Brunswick, Belfast Co-op, Rising Tide Co-op in Damariscotta and Fare Share Food Coop in Norway, among others. There’s even a mobile refill business called Leave No Trace Refillery that delivers refillables and ecofriendly products in Southern Maine and New Hampshire.
This article appeared in the Spring 2022 edition of Green & Healthy Maine HOMES. Subscribe today!
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