Ditch plastic waste, go for refillable options

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This article was published 03/02/2022 (1535 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When you look around your bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room, how many products do you see packaged in plastic?

We’re encouraged to put plastic packaging into our recycling bins, but a study published by the federal government in 2019 showed that just nine per cent of plastic used in Canada is actually recycled.

Luckily, we’ve got a few stores here in Winnipeg that offer refillable options for everyday personal hygiene and household cleaning products. 

These stores also sell products that are minimally packaged in sustainable materials, including eco-friendly toothbrushes, dental floss, feminine hygiene products, bandages, and pretty much anything else you can think of.

While it might seem inconvenient or complicated to go with a refill option, it’s really just about creating new habits. Plus, you’ll have less plastic waste to deal with in the long run, and who doesn’t want that? Many refill products are also priced similarly to pre-packaged natural products.

Refill is located at 634 Notre Dame Ave. and stocks a variety of natural bulk/refillable products, including shampoos and conditioners, hand soap, dish soap, cleaning vinegar, and laundry detergent. You can bring your own clean and dry containers to fill up, or use the jars provided by the store (which have a $2 deposit that you get back once you return them).

Refill also offers a handy low-emission delivery option, with orders delivered between 5 and 8 p.m. every Wednesday using Peg City Car Co-Op electric or hybrid vehicles. You can leave your empty jars out on delivery day to be picked up, cleaned, and reused.

Generation Green is located at 100-433 Main St. and also carries many natural bulk/refillable products, such as face cream, hand soap, all-purpose cleaner, shampoo and conditioner, laundry detergent, and toothpaste. Here, too, you can bring your own clean, dry containers to fill, or purchase containers at the store.

Planet Pantry, located in the Johnston Terminal at The Forks,  is another great option, with natural bulk/refillable products such as hand soap, laundry and dish soap, shampoo and conditioner, lotions and even essential oils. Again, you can bring in your own containers or use the available jars (with a $2 deposit).

Sadly, Transcona and nearby neighbourhoods don’t appear to have similar stores at the moment but let’s hope that changes soon.

Melody Rogan is a community correspondent for Radisson. You can email her at preeneditorial@gmail.com

Melody Rogan

Melody Rogan was a community correspondent for Radisson.

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