#fckplastic

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Going zero waste is a lot of work. Most of it is falling to women.

The zero-waste movement is about cutting down on packaging, but is it creating more pressure on women?

A great article on the relationship between gender and zero-waste lifestyles. 

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Coronavirus is threatening the zero waste movement

Businesses are saying no to shoppers who want to use their own cups and containers.

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Zerowaste.Japan on Instagram: “Many people are wearing disposable face masks to help protect themselves from coronavirus in Japan, and they leave those masks on the…”

4,606 Likes, 158 Comments - Zerowaste.Japan (@zerowaste.japan) on Instagram: “Many people are wearing disposable face masks to help protect themselves from coronavirus in Japan,…”

These days, coronavirus is rapidly spreading across the globe, leading to disposable face masks selling out everywhere. Unfortunately, with this sharp increase in demand for face masks follows an unavoidable increase in face mask litter. In Hong Kong, these masks have already washed up on beaches and shores as trash, posting environmental and health risks. 

Don’t forget - the World Health Organization (WHO) advises that, in general, if you are healthy, you do NOT need a mask. If you are using disposable face masks due to health risks that could contribute to a more severe coronavirus diagnoses (high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc), read this article on how to properly dispose of your face masks.

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Honest Thoughts: Silver Falls Sustainability + My Zero-Waste Hair Care Routine

Heads up: I’m super lazy with my hair, so my routine is literally two steps. A.k.a please don’t expect anything exciting or mind-blowing.

(Haha I’m clearly amazing at self-promotion.) 

Thanks to the Instagram algorithm, I came across Silver Falls Sustainability Co. mindlessly scrolling down my feed, and was immediately intrigued by their products. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that not only are their products plastic-free and cruelty-free, but they’re also a small business of “two part time employees, two dogs and a baby.“ (I’m going to assume that the baby and two fur babies are also hard-working, valuable members of the company.) 

(Probably how the pups of SF Sustainable relax after a long day at the office.) 

Packaging

My products arrived in a cardboard package with a sweet note from the company.  Each bar arrives wrapped in white tissue paper, which you can easily recycle. 

“Yuna, 

Thank you for your order! Together we can create a zero waste world! -SFSC”

(So sweet!)

1) Shampoo

The company currently has 4 different scent options, and one unscented bar, which cost $8.20 per bar. Price-wise, I think these bars are pretty comparable to conventional, bottle shampoo, which make them a great affordable zero-waste option! 

I start with the “Wallowa Wilds” shampoo bar. It’s a beautifully, woodsy-scented bar featuring cedar, sage, and tea tree oils. To use, I lather it up like I would any other bar of soap, then directly massage it into my scalp. It actually creates quite a good amount of lather and rinses out well! I also love how I can actually feel my hair get cleaner without that “stripped entirely of its natural oils” feeling like I do with conventional hair products. 

Ingredients list according to their website:  Wallowa Wilds: Organic Cocos Nucifera, (Coconut) Oil, Organic Olea Europaea, (Olive) Fruit Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Organic Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Organic Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Organic Cocoa Butter, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Proprietary Essential Oil Blend, Vitamin E, Chlorella, Organic Aloe Vera Powder * No Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) in finished product.

2) Conditioner

Next, I take this conditioner bar and literally run it through the ends of my hair several times, making sure that it’s coated as much as possible. After leaving it in for a few minutes (don’t worry, I wash my face and body during this time to make sure I don’t waste water), I rinse it out. This product also rinses out very nicely, and despite the fact that I literally rub it directly onto my hair, it never leaves chunks of conditioner bar behind.

Ingredients list according to their website: Btms 50, Shea Butter, Cetyl Alcohol, Argan Oil, Coconut Oil

Would I recommend these bars? 

These two bars do their job so damn well. On their website, they state that some people may need a transition period from conventional hair products to these more natural products, but I actually really enjoyed using these products from Day 1. The only small bump I had was that my hair felt slightly oilier than usual after the first two uses, but by the third time my hair had already adjusted nicely. I’ve actually received compliments lately from my friends and peers noticing that my hair looks “so shiny” and “healthy,” which I never heard before. 

I actually do that thing I shouldn’t do where I wash my hair every day (I know, I shouldn’t!), plus I have coarse, dry, Asian hair that’s actually quite wavy, so I need hair products that’ll actually moisturize with both the shampooing and conditioning steps. I’m so happy that these bars do exactly that, and will definitely continue to use these bars for my hair routine! 

(An accurate representation of post-shower me.)

SF Sustainability Co. also includes a free cedar soap dish if you buy 3 of their shampoo or conditioner bars, which is a thoughtful touch they added to show that they really value and appreciate each customer! 

(Bonus: it’s made from cedar mill scraps!)

Rating: 10/10 

In addition to their shampoo and conditioner bars, Silver Falls Sustainability Co. carries a wide range of other products, including lotions, lip balms, and insect repellent. Check out their shop here! 

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My latest haul from Package Free shop! I got an interesting assortment of items that I’m really excited to try out. 

(From left to right: floss, bar dish soap, Palo Santo wood, and coffee/tea straw)

So far, I’ve tried out the dish soap, and it works splendidly! It does require a little bit more elbow grease than bottled dish soap, but I think that it gets the job done. Plus, it doesn’t smell overwhelmingly like dish detergents normally do, so if you have a sensitive sense of smell like me, this bar dish soap might be perfect for you! 

I also burned the Palo Santo wood for the first time today to try and cleanse my apartment as well as my own energy, which I feel like has been pretty caca for the past few months. I don’t know if it actually does anything, but I already feel pretty calm basking in the warm smoke.

Let me know if you would like a specific review on any of the products featured here! 

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Anyone else love watching the BuzzFeed “Zero Waste” series featuring Joyce and Auri? Personally, I love how they make the zero waste journey not only approachable and fun for beginners, but also give an honest depiction of everyday zero-waste struggles (ie: their attempt at getting fast food zero-waste and trying out a zero-waste skincare regimen). 

Because let’s be real here: living zero-waste isn’t always 100% convenient. (Sigh Chipotle, you’re so fucking hard to give up.) 

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Today’s zero-waste haul from the 4th Street Food Co-op! Today’s workers were absolutely stellar, and I found out that you get a discount if your purchases are made completely in your own containers. What a win for me and the environment! 

Back row: Castille soap, white wine vinegar, Common Sense dish soap

Middle row: Long grain brown rice, raw blueberry honey, green sencha tea, cashews, two containers of chickpeas

Front row: Brown rice spaghetti, whole peppercorns, 2 bars of oat soap, Himalayan pink salt, white quinoa 

Total cost:  $75.51 (after a  $6.38 discount!) 

Don’t forget to stop by for all of your vegetarian dry bulk goods needs if you’re in the NYC area! 

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Honest Thoughts: Marleys Monsters Cotton Rounds

About a month ago, I made my first foray into my zero-waste journey by purchasing the Marleys Monsters Cotton Rounds Package-Free Shop. I have been using these now for a month, and I can confidently say that I am never going back to disposable cotton pads. 

The Good 

Ok, I’m not gonna lie - when I first opened the package of these cotton rounds, I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. They literally just looked like,,, scraps of clothing that had been cut out in squares and sewn together in layers. “I paid $20 for this shit?!” I almost shrieked out loud, as I looked through the Package-Free return policy (spoiler alert: they don’t do returns nor refunds so make sure you do your research). Feeling resigned to the situation, I decided to try taking off my makeup - including my waterproof eyeliner and mascara - using only these cotton pads and plain old New York City tap water. 

And oh my god did these cotton pads do the job and more. With just a few swipes, everything had been wiped off my face - BB cream, lip tint, eyeliner, and even most of the waterproof mascara (Too Faced’s waterproof Better Than Sex mascara, so you know the stay-power of the product). I was shocked by how easily everything came off with little pressure applied and none of my usual makeup remover (aka coconut oil aka “the shit that can do everything but cure cancer”). I promptly apologized to the cotton pads for ever doubting their ability to every trace of makeup off my face because DAMN. THEY DID THEIR JOB AND THEY DID IT WELL. 

I’ve also been using these cotton pads to apply facial toner, They can basically do everything that regular disposable cotton pads can do, and according to the website, these will last me forever. Woohoo to never having to buy cotton pads ever again!

The Okay

The one problem I have already run into is losing one of these cotton pads (goddammit Yuna, get your shit together). However, the problem can easily be fixed by washing the cotton pads together in a (package-free) laundry bag so they all stay together. (I’m just being super lazy by not picking one up on my own.) 

The Bad 

My everyday makeup routine involves black or brown eyeliner, and gray eyebrow pencils (I need my eyebrow pencils more than I need food, water, and oxygen tbh). Thus, these products have definitely stained the cotton pads, and no amount of laundry has taken them off so far (although maybe hydrogen peroxide could work). I have also seen these same cotton pads in black, gray, and even funky patterns, which would definitely help with the staining.

Or you could just be lazy like me and not care about the staining because whatever, they get the job done and they get the job done well anyway. 

Would I recommend these? 

Despite the minor bumps I’ve run into with these, they do their job and they do it WELL. Plus it’s great knowing that I’ll never have to buy cotton pads for as long as these reusable ones last. 

Rating: 9.5/10

(because nothing’s perfect, but these cotton pads come damn near close.)

Want to know why you should switch over to reusable cotton pads? Read all about the dark side of cotton pads here.