To me, the holidays are one of the most magical times of the year. Yet, the holiday season can also be one of the least Earth-friendly times of the year as we forget some of our good zero waste habits out of convenience during this busy time. With a few simple swaps you can enjoy a more eco-conscious holiday season!
In 2018, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), about 146.1 million tons of solid waste was sent to the landfill. Food waste was measured at about 24 percent of that total. Containers and packaging clocked in at 28.1 percent. That’s 52.1% of our total landfill waste that can be avoided. How?
By composting and choosing products in compostable packaging. Composting is the natural process of recycling items, like food scraps, yard waste or bio-based packaging, into an amazing fertilizer that can enrich plant growth. It’s plant-based alchemy!
Using products in a solid form instead of liquid products typically packaged in a plastic bottle is a great way to cut down on our contributions to the global plastic pollution problem that we’re currently facing. These products function just as well or better than their liquid counterparts and oftentimes have the added benefit of using safer ingredients and being more fun to use (ahem...like Solid Roots’ shampoo and conditioner bars!). Solid dish soap is one such product that I swapped in when working towards making our home greener.
When I first started planning the company’s strategy, I thought of our target market as those who are already following a “clean” or zero waste lifestyle. They would likely be less afraid to ditch their current shampoo and conditioner and try something new. They may even be using a plastic-free product today. But, if I’m just getting people to switch from one zero waste product to another, I’m not making a huge impact. What if I could instead get people using high-end liquid shampoo and conditioner to make the switch to solid hair care?
It was never my intention to start my own business of any kind, much less a company focusing on soap-free solid shampoo and conditioner bars, but here I am. It was great that I was having a positive impact in making my own zero waste prodcuts, but why stop there? I could be amplifying that impact by making these products available to family, friends, and neighbors, and hopefully beyond. So that’s what I did.
