The Zero Waste movement has different meanings for different people, but in general Zero Waste means moving our society as a whole toward products that have been responsibly produced, can be responsibly consumed, are reusable, and have no effects on our landfills, water, or air.

The goal of the Zero Waste Movement is to redesign our societal systems and resources, from product conception and design to its disposal, to prevent wastefulness and pollution.

Becoming Zero Waste in your day to day life can seem like a daunting task. We have spoken with many customers in our store who want to go Zero Waste in their day to day lives and are struck with the sudden realization of how much plastic they actually consume on a day to day basis and feel that the task of replacing those plastic and|or wasteful items can be overwhelming.

We understand that going Zero Waste for people can be a challenge and a task that will take time, which is why our company mission states that “Our Mission is to inspire and facilitate change in the world one jar and one customer at a time. We will build communities around the common goal of a greener and more sustainable future by working together to find Zero Waste solutions that will improve, simplify, and beautify our lives.”

The most important thing to remember when shopping at one of our locations is that no one is judging you, this is something we’ve heard from customers on occasion, when they’ve come into the store to see what it’s all about and are curious to learn more about the “Zero Waste Lifestyle”, or simply have never heard of the “Zero Waste Lifestyle” movement. Our friendly and helpful staff are there for you to answer any questions you may have and to help you find Zero Waste solutions for your life and your household.

We understand that going Zero waste is not something that can be done in a day, or even overnight, but with small changes, you can become a Zero Waste Household quite quickly. We can be the change we want to see in the world if we all work together toward a greener and cleaner future.

At Monsieur Vrac we offer many ways that you can add Zero Waste items into your ever day life.

Examples of this:

• We offer a reusable container program: you pay a small deposit fee on one of our containers (glass or recyclable plastic) for you to put your product into and when you return to the store to refill your item, if it’s glass you can do an exchange or if it’s our recyclable plastic, we can sanitize it at the cash for you and you can refill your item.
• Shampoo Bars as opposed to bottled shampoo.
• Conditioning Bars as opposed to bottled conditioner.
• We offer Bamboo Toothbrushes that are completely compostable (once you have removed the bristles, they go into waste) but the rest of the toothbrush can be put right into your compost bin. This can be one of the changes you make to go Zero Waste in your bathroom when you no longer need to purchase plastic toothbrushes.
• Stainless Steel Razors (Rockwell Razors) as opposed to your typical disposable razor.
• We offer reusable cotton pads to cut down and|or completely eliminate the need for you to use disposable cotton pads for makeup removing, toner application, etc.
• We also offer multiple silicone ear cleaning products to replace your day to day use of QTips, this cuts down greatly on bathroom waste. They can be washed with a mild soap, rinsed and air dried.
• Natural (Aluminum Free) Deodorant, which is better for your body and the environment, we also offer refills for our KALI line of Deodorant (this works out to be more cost effective to you).
• Eco Friendly and Compostable dish washing (scrubbing) options for your kitchen.
• We also sell a mason jar accessory line called Jarware that can be used to update your collection of regular and wide mouth glass mason jars to give them new purpose in your day to day life.
• Paper Towel Replacements, that are far more absorbent and cut down greatly on day to day paper waste.
• Vegan skincare options as well as non vegan skincare options. These products have only essential oils and good for your skin ingredients. They are healthier options for your skin and body.
• Bulk Shampoo | Conditioner | Shower Gel | Toothpaste | Deodorant | Face Lotion, all of these can be purchased in the quantity that you would like and put into a reusable glass jar. They are also biodegradable and made with more natural ingredients then their store bought counterparts.
• Dish Detergent, which is biodegradable and environmentally friendly, concentrated so you end up using less.
• Laundry Soap, which is biodegradable and environmentally friendly, concentrated so you end up using less.
• Dish Washer Detergent, this is also an item we offer that is more concentrated then your store bought counterpart. It is also safe for the environment and biodegradable.
• We also carry Bamboo Straws, Glass Straws, Stainless Steel Straws, as well as a line of compostable cutlery that is handy to take on a picnic, can be used for your work or school lunches or is an easy option to take camping.
• We also have a very large selection of bulk food items and spices that you can purchase to put into your own jars at home.
• We also offer Milk, Juice, Yogurt, Bread & Bagels, Honey, Maple Syrup, Ketchup and Mustard, a selection of fresh produce, well as a beautiful vegan cheese.

In later Blog Posts we will go more in-depth into our suppliers so you can see what they have available to offer you and how they’re products are made and their benefits to you.

These are only a few of the items we offer in store that you can purchase to help you get started on your journey of becoming a Zero Waste Household.

Our friendly, knowledgeable and helpful staff are also there to help you every step of the way and are happy to answer any questions that you have.

Also feel free to post questions to the blog as well.

We are more then happy to help you in any way possible to make the transition from the use of every day plastic to a more greener and cleaner, sustainable lifestyle.

Have a Green, Beautiful Day!

The Monsieur Vrac Team