ZERO-WASTE LIFESTYLE | Emoke Gaidosch, a chemist and co-owner of FullFillery, pours liquid soap that she made into a glass jar at FullFillery refill shop in Takoma Park, Maryland, on Jan. 25. (Agence France-Presse)
WASHINGTON 鈥� Toothpaste tabs plunk into a jar. Maple syrup flows viscously from a spout. Dishwasher powder crunches under the tip of a metal scoop. The chorus of consumer goods lacks one familiar sound: the crinkle of plastic wrap.
At Mason & Greens in Washington, the lack of packaging is the point 鈥� the small shop selling household goods and groceries is among dozens of zero-waste refill stores sprouting up in US cities from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
Customers bring their own containers 鈥� from used jars to Tupperware, to fill with bulk items. The store even has 鈥渉ad people bring in the sleeves that their newspapers come in,鈥� owner Anna Marino, 34, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Such stores are emblematic of what experts say is a necessary culture shift in one of the world鈥檚 largest consumer economies, where the average person generates 4.9 pounds of waste per day, according to government statistics.
Marino says the aim is to help anyone from novices to experts on their journey toward less waste, citing paper towels as a personal catalyst.
鈥淨uitting paper towels was one of the first things that my family did and it was a significant reduction in the waste that we were creating on a weekly basis,鈥� said Marino, who co-founded the store with her husband.
Reusable 鈥減aper鈥� towels made of cloth are just one of the products she now sells at her store, where beans and oats fill wall-mounted dispensers, metal containers hold vinegar and olive oil, and shelves are stocked with package-free artisanal bread, veggies, and vegan food.
For bulk items, customers pay by weight, Marino鈥檚 aim being to avoid any 鈥渙bnoxiously outrageous price鈥� and to keep things 鈥渁ccessible.鈥�
Reusable containers, such as mason jars, can be purchased if needed.
Upstairs, shampoo bars and toothpaste tablets that are chewed until becoming paste are among the store鈥檚 many unpackaged hygiene products.
Less than a third of US municipal solid waste was recovered for recycling or composting in 2018, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and only about 9 percent of plastic material was recycled.
Statistics such as these are why Marino asks suppliers to send shipments in compostable, or minimal packaging.
鈥楻educe, reuse鈥� first
鈥淲e can鈥檛 recycle our way out of the plastics crisis,鈥� says Jenny Gitlitz of the advocacy group Beyond Plastics.
She points to toxins in plastic that can be carcinogenic or cause genetic mutations, as well as to endocrine disruptors.
On top of that, tiny particles called microplastics have been discovered in virtually every environment, from the Mariana Trench to Mount Everest, as well as in the human body including the lungs and blood.
Unlike aluminum and glass, plastic can only be recycled a few times before its polymers break down. And many types are not widely recyclable in the first place.
鈥淚f all else fails, then recycle,鈥� sums up professor Shelie Miller at the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan.
鈥淚 think folks often skip straight to the recycle and forget to reduce, reuse,鈥� she told AFP.
Miller cautions that the issue of plastic waste will not be solved simply by individuals changing the way they consume鈥攁s exemplified in places like Mason & Greens.
Creating a sustainable future 鈥渞eally is a completely shared responsibility model鈥� involving corporations, governments, and waste handlers, she said.
鈥楴o choice鈥�
In the meantime, though, Rini Saha 鈥� the co-owner of the FullFillery, another Washington-area refill shop in the suburb of Takoma Park, Maryland 鈥� hopes to make a difference from the ground up.
鈥淲e want you to reuse as much as we can because recycling is still a huge carbon footprint,鈥� the 46-year-old told AFP.
Saha and colleagues make a number of body care and cleaning products on-site, for refill or purchase in a returnable container.
On a recent Wednesday morning, fellow co-owner Emoke Gaidosch, a chemist by training, poured liquid soap she had made into a large receptacle.
Aside from the lack of packaging, Miller says bulk sales could yield even bigger environmental benefits by helping consumers buy only what they need.
That, ultimately, can help eliminate the impacts from a product鈥檚 entire life cycle, from the energy and resources used to create it, to things like methane released when unused organic waste decays in landfills.
Over its three years of existence, the FullFillery has morphed from a farmer鈥檚 market stall to a large store lined with environmentally friendly products and extremely limited packaging.
Similarly, Mason & Greens鈥� Washington location, which only opened in September, was an expansion after the success of its first location in another suburb.
The model 鈥渋s profitable,鈥� Saha told AFP. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 as profitable as a disposable business.鈥�
鈥淏ut I think that inevitably, there鈥檚 no choice. This is the way that business has to go.鈥�