Everyone has heard that there is no Planet B… but most people assume that someone else is working on saving the planet and our environments. But the reality is that we all need to take part – and the best way to do it is with your purchases. Buy sustainable products from sustainable companies. Buy products that last and are not made from plastic. Single-use plastics amount to a lot of the trash that ends up in our landfills, even after our recycling efforts. In the USA alone, after all of our efforts to recycle, we throw away 300,000 tons of plastic from cleaning and personal care plastic containers, which ends up taxing landfills and polluting our oceans.
And the culprits are not just single-use water bottles, but single-use cleaning and personal care products that all come in plastic bottles.
A bi-product of all of these single-use plastics is microplastics.
Microplastics… let the word sink in. This is a bi-product of our plastic consumption that was not planned on…
Unless a plastic bottle or vessel is recycled (not just sent to the recycling center, but actually repurposed and made into another product), then these products that we’ve mostly used once (think soap bottle, shampoo bottle, cleaning products, etc) break down over time, into Microplastics. The problem is that they never “go away”- eventually they become small enough to seep into our water systems (think drinking water, agriculture and the ocean). These tiny Microplastics have also made their way into our food system. (Yuck!)
So what can do about it? We can make a huge effort to either stop buying our products in plastics OR at least reduce the amount of items housed in plastic.
There are a growing number of great options now- REFilling is one!
Manufacturers with eco-friendly packaging is another!
At Planet Renu, we are mission-driven to make a difference with education on how to live more sustainably as well as offer products that are eco-friendly. Most of our products are plastic alternatives or replacements.
To address our plastic problem, we are happy to announce that we have launched a Zero Waste REfill shop. At Planet Renu, you can now purchase cleaners, stain remover, dish soaps, hand soaps, lotions, shampoos, conditioners and baby care products.
When you need a refill, bring your clean bottle back, and only pay by the ounce to fill it back up.
We are currently at the following Farmer’s Markets on a revolving schedule: Diablo Valley, Moraga, and San Leandro Bayfair and will add more markets soon. The Planet Renu Zero Waste Refill shop is also available for schools, corporations and local businesses to fill up once a month. Contact Planet Renu to have them regularly come to your establishment.
Make a difference with your dollars and buys products that are sustainable and that you can feel good about.
By Amy Golan, Resident since 2008