Zero Waste Living — Sustainability for Busy People

In a world increasingly burdened by waste, the concept of zero waste living has gained traction, but is it realistic? Hannah and Nayeli explain that zero waste isn’t about perfection; it’s about progress. With thoughtful choices and easy adjustments, anyone can embark on a low-waste journey, no matter how busy their life may be. Join us as we interview the owner of a local refill shop, Eryn Cook of Eco Inspired, as she gives us a tour of her store and the most popular products you'll be looking forward to swapping. 

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Shop Eco Inspired Website: LivingEcoInspired.com

Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:16.898)
Welcome friends to Ordinary People with Hannah and Nayeli. I'm Hannah, and I'm Nayeli, and today's topic is something that you've probably heard about trending online, something maybe you've wanted to try, but just the name scares you off. And that is zero waste living.

Speaker 3 (00:36.366)
Yes, definitely zero waste sounds very strange, right? But we promise it's not about doing it perfectly, it's about doing it thoughtfully. And by the end of this episode you will have so many easy tips you can use to start your own low waste journey, no matter how hectic your schedule is, right, Hannah?

That's right. Let's start with the definition first. According to the Zero Waste International Alliance, Zero Waste is a goal. I want to emphasize that it's a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient, and visionary to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles.

where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use.

That means eliminating waste, not just managing it. It means designing products so they can be reused, repaired, composted, not just thrown or buried, you know?

Yeah, and most importantly, zero waste is not the same as 100 % recycling. In fact, recycling comes after reducing, reusing, and refusing. So recycling is a last resort.

Speaker 3 (02:05.172)
Also, waste doesn't mean you're expected to produce absolutely zero trash. I mean, that goal will be almost unachievable for everyone. The goal is to divert at least 90 % of the waste from landfills and incinerators. It's about progress, not perfection.

In essence, it's about rethinking the systems. How things are made, how you consume them, how you discard them. We move from a linear model of take, make, waste to a model that's more circular where the materials flow in a loop that mimics nature more. So if you're thinking,

This sounds great, but I barely have time to sleep. We hear you. Zero waste isn't just for eco-influencers or people with hours of free time.

Yes, it's for people like us, people who care about the world, who care about the world our kids will inherit, who wants to save money too because there are strategies there in the city of ways to save money and who just want to do something that matters even if it sounds very small.

Yeah, Nayeli, that's what drives me is knowing that my kids and my grandkids and great grandkids will have to deal with the mess that we all leave behind. So that's what motivates me to try zero waste living. But if that's not enough motivation for you, zero waste practices, like Nayeli said, can actually save you money and create more jobs.

Speaker 1 (03:56.024)
Composting, for example, creates twice as many jobs as landfill disposal. And recycling generates nine times more jobs.

Exactly. And it's not just about the economic factors that, of course, they have a weight on our decisions, but it also strengthens the community. From buy-nothing groups to local composting collectives, zero waste living helps us connect with others, reduce emissions, and protect natural resources.

Globally, more cities and countries are taking action. From South Korea's composting systems to India's plastic bans and even EU policies that support repairable electronics, the world is moving toward resource responsibility.

There are many examples around the world, but I would like to highlight what are they doing in Nigeria because I think it's very cool. There are local groups collecting plastics to build eco-bricks. In Chile, for example, they have food co-ops that are making low-waste groceries more accessible. And in Canada, the library system now not just loan books, they also loan tools, kitchen equipment.

What? Really?

Speaker 3 (05:19.618)
Yes, girl. These solutions are not one-sided at all, but they show us what is possible. How can ordinary people are driving by change?

I love that.

So let's start by busting a few of the myths because there are a lot about around zero waste. Zero waste is not just about recycling. It starts with refusing, reducing, reusing and then recycling or composting. Those are all parts of zero waste. Zero waste isn't anti-technology. It actually encourages keeping tech longer, repair if it's possible.

and use it as a tool for the zero waste movement. Zero waste does not include waste to energy incineration. Burning trash destroys valuable resources and emits greenhouse gases. Real zero waste focuses on recovery and reuse. Also, zero waste isn't all or nothing. Because so many times we feel like if we are not doing everything, then we are not gonna jump in. No, you can start with a small thing, you know? One swap at a time. It's actually a lot, I have hear a lot in the zero waste community, they say, swap by swap.

Speaker 1 (06:45.44)
I love that. Yeah. And we say a lot, you know, 1 % better. So that's really important because, you know, zero waste feels so unachievable. It's important to remember that. And so now we have a motto, swap by swap. But that's an important mindset shift. Think of yourself as a resource manager of your household, not a waste manager.

Exactly. And it's not just thinking about our own trash, our own beans. It supports brands that design for reuse. Advocate for better local systems and share what you learn with your friends and family. We all know these places, these small shops, these small businesses that are doing their best to do this. So let's support them. Let's keep up the good work.

And we did something really fun for this episode, right Hannah? We went on an adventure to our local zero waste store. The owner did an amazing job showing us what they have. How do you approach a zero waste store? If it's your first time there, not making it scary and even how much money you can save if you go to the stores, right?

Yes.

Speaker 1 (08:09.58)
Yeah, absolutely. I was having coffee with a friend and I saw this zero waste store just a couple of stores down from where I was having coffee and Nayeli and I were already in process of working on this episode and I said I have to reach out to her. So the owner Eryn Cook was so amazing and she said, yes, let's do it. So we quickly scheduled

you know, a tour of her store with her and it was fabulous wasn't it Nayeli  we had such a great time with Eryn and we can't wait to show you all the video

Yeah, don't miss it. It's gonna be posted next to this one.

Speaker 3 (09:01.08)
Welcome friends of Ordinary People with Hannah and Nayeli. We are very excited to be here in Eco Inspired with Eryn Cook. She's our guest today. We are in her store and it's amazing. You gotta come and see it out. It's in Bon Air area in Richmond, Virginia. If you're a local, this might be your new hotspot to visit and buy the most amazing, incredible stuff. So I'm here with Eryn.

And first I want to ask you, what inspired you to open this store in Richmond, in this area? Did something come to you?

So I grew up here. So my parents and I grew up just five minutes down the road. And I my former life I worked in college athletics, I moved, I lived in North Carolina, Jersey, New York, Chicago. But honestly, this is just how I've lived my adult life. Every place I live was there is co-op food stores, which I can get bulk food, but also bulk dish soap and hand soap and laundry.

And then if they didn't have something I was looking for, I would just order from companies that were more sustainable in their practices as well as their ingredients. So it just really became a way of life. And I knew that when I was ready to kind of reset my career, know, my husband, wanted to move back to Richmond. But also, this has been such a passion of mine, and I knew it would be successful in Richmond. And so that's why I started my business.

You know, we have talked to people about this zero waste trend and some of them are a little scared because they don't know how they approach a store like yours. know, we are very used to go to supermarkets and get the stuff in already packaged in a plastic bottle or in a plastic container. And even worse, when we go to the supermarket, we put the fruit in plastic bags and then we put it on other plastic bags. We make it even worse every time.

Speaker 3 (11:05.58)
But we're trying to change all that. So how do your first customer will approach?

Well, I think the first point I want to touch on is the trend aspect of it. Plastic really wasn't invented until the 1950s. And so it really just became this cheap option. And marketing dollars kind of came into play, whereas, you know, businesses were like, well, you can get the product in a cheap packaging. And that's where it used to be the milkman style of things where you can order milk and it would come in glass and you could pick it up.

you know, right outside your home. But I think the trend aspect, because we've gotten so far away from the way things kind of used to be in terms of, you know, ingredients, and then just the packaging, marketing has really played into that. So if you're on social media, you get every type of ad for like, buy this, buy that, buy that, and it becomes this type of living and this type, these type of products.

are so hard to find because we get all of ours from small businesses. It's just you're inundated with buy now, buy this, and most of the it comes in plastic packaging. the zero waste trend, really, it's a great kind of term for it because it's so hard to find that people try to seek it out, but it is difficult. So then for someone new, I think the most important thing is just to use what you have.

And really with this, I call ourselves a zero waste refill shop. Zero waste is unattainable in our day and age because plastic is everywhere. You can't walk down the street without seeing any plastic trash. You can't go to any store without getting something that, you know, some sort of item that comes in plastic or has some sort of item that comes in plastic. And so what we're really trying to do is kind of change people's mindsets and saying that

Speaker 2 (13:02.914)
You you don't need to go to the grocery store. You don't have to put the apples in a plastic bag. You can always bring your own containers or bring your own bags and then just put those in there. So it's really about trying to shift people's mindsets because we've gotten into this grind of we go to the grocery store and these are the options. This is what you do. And so I think for a new a newcomer, using what you have is the most important thing. If you've just bought a whole skin, a skincare line that comes in plastic packaging, use it.

because you've already bought it. And so but then I like to tell people, but then try and buy better. And I don't mean that the products that you buy aren't fantastic. But what I mean is that I look at things holistically from start to finish. And if it comes in plastic packaging, then it ends up in a landfill. If the ingredients aren't great, then you're putting them on your skin. And that's the largest organ of your body. So

Once you're kind of done with products, just start small. We always use soap. So start with dish soap or hand soap. We wash our hair. So start with shampoo or conditioner. And if you start, if you try and just throw everything away and just be like, I'm all into this, it's so overwhelming. So that's where we really try and meet people where they are and just try and encourage them to get one thing or two things.

especially in the refill side of things because you can save so much money by refilling instead of buying new.

Yeah. For example, if I use a laundry detergent and it's done, I finish it, can I bring that container and refill it here with your product?

Speaker 2 (14:39.758)
sure. I will say so if it's a liquid laundry, you typically get close to like 200 ounces, but it's only like, let's say 100 loads. So a lot of that's water. And that's why we sell very concentrated products. So you can bring your big container, but we really try and kind of ask people, much laundry do you do a month? And so with this concentrate, if you do 12 loads, you just need 6

ounces, which would be $3.50. And so then you can kind of look at this cost saving side of things as well as reusing the container you may have, but with a better product. That's nice. And less waste packaging. That's perfect.

Perfect. So if someone, a new customer comes into your store and let's say they just moving in the city, there are many college kids that are coming into our city because we have college in the area. Can they come with nothing? Like can you provide them with like a container they can bring their products in or a paper bag they can buy? Yes.

yeah, so we take jar donations. And so as long as the container is clean and it's free of smells, so no like pickles, olives, garlic jars, because it's really hard to get the smell out. What we do is we clean, rinse and sanitize those just like a restaurant does with the glasses you get when you go in there. And then we put them on our free shelf. So anyone can come in and just pick up the shelf, we pre-weigh those so we know the weight of the container so you're not paying for that.

and then you can fill up as much or as little as you like.

Speaker 3 (16:13.784)
that's perfect. So see, you don't have to wait. You can try something right now. Like I'm sure if you go through your pantry or you go to your laundry room, something is running out. So instead of going run to the store and buy it, come here and try something. Can you give us a tour of your best selling products, your favorites? Sure.

Let's go. So the first is our Rebrand skincare line. So we have a moisturizer, a brightening serum, a day and night moisturizer, and then a super oil. And so these collectively replace, I mean, hundreds of dollars worth of skincare. Aubrey is the owner. She worked in the skin or beauty industry for about five or six years. She's a chemist. So she was formulating all of these wonderful products, but realized I can do this better.

with less toxic ingredients and better packaging. And so we get all these in refills. And that's the thing with skincare is typically you're just buying this and hoping you like it. of coming in and just trying to pump and be like, well, it may not be exactly what I'm looking for. However, most people when they try it, they come back. So it's nice having like a brightening serum and refill. so many of these things, I think people are more kind of...

Impressed that we have them because it is something so unique but the skincare line from start to finish is definitely our top seller

I'll definitely have to try that.

Speaker 2 (17:40.216)
And then our next are toothpaste tablets. So you mentioned travel. Yeah. Many people will get these if they are traveling because it's not a liquid. don't worry about the ounces. If you're going through an airport or TSA, you can just get like, if you're going on a 10 day trip, you can get 20 tablets and that's really all you need. So the toothpaste tablets, you pop them in your mouth, you chew them up, they start to dissolve and you brush as normal. And aesthetically too, like this is in your bathroom versus this big tube, which

you know, inevitably, toothpaste gets out of the tube, it's all around, it gets all junky. Yeah, you can just have this in your cabinet. It doesn't have to be out. You don't have to worry about trying to get the last little bits like it's just the toothpaste. And then our top sellers every month are our dip shampoo and conditioner bars. So many shampoo and conditioner bars are just soap that you can use on your hair, which will get your hair nice and clean, but it doesn't give you the benefits of a

Speaker 2 (18:39.212)
really great kind of higher quality shampoo product. And so the formulator Kate, she wanted to make a shampoo that replaces multiple bottles of really pricey, expensive shampoo, but go the extra step to make it into bar form. And so with these, they lather really nicely, they have properties help with hair growth. I mean, my hair is fuller, I wash it less, and they smell really nice.

Obviously not all of the bars are going to be made equally. This one was fabulous and it was just as good as one of my favorite conditioners. So I highly recommend choosing this dip bar over just any one that you might get online because they're not all the same.

They're not all the same. So my big conditioner bar is three ounces. It lasted me over two years. And even the mini ones because we have some that people really get for travel or just to try. Yeah. Try that again. This lasted me. It's point seven ounces six months. So kind of going back to some of the cost savings, you get a really great product that you may be spending a little more upfront. But I think I calculated out it was like

Speaker 2 (19:51.95)
not like 0.04 less than like three cents or something a day for over two years. 

Love that one. 

Yeah. And then our next is the liquid laundry as we were kind of talking about before. It is a concentrate. So you just use a tablespoon. And we're so used to just the laundry that you get in the store that you have to use so much they give you this cap and the lines I think I saw like the largest line was it's like seven ounces or something like that that you dump in to a machine that has a ton of water. So you're taking out the water.

and getting just a really great product that cleans, it has enzymes in it, so it can break down some of those really heavily soiled clothes. And they also smell really nice. But the scents are all essential oils. So if you're really sensitive, we always have a completely unscented option. But I find that most people, if they're looking for a slight scent, but are again, really sensitive, the free and clear hasn't really helped that much. The essential oil blend is so much better because it doesn't have that heavy phthalates.

fragrance in it versus just something that's more clean. Okay. And then we also have dish and then hand soaps back on this side. We price it as low as we possibly can because it's a great intro product for people. If people come in and they're like, why am I spending twice as much for dish or hand soap? They're not going to come back. That's just the reality of kind of just being a consumer. And so we specifically price it to be competitive with better options, better ingredients.

Speaker 2 (21:29.294)
you know, better option products. And again, you can just get a little bit, it's suds, it does the same thing as Dawn without the dye that's blue, without the extra chemicals that are in there. So the dish and hand soaps are always really popular and they're about 25 cents an ounce. And then the last thing is our dishwasher tablets. We

many of the dishwasher tablets now you get come in a big plastic box and they come wrapped in plastic. There's ingredients called polyamino alcohol, which there still needs to be some studies performed, but polyamino alcohol still doesn't break down, but its fossil fuel derived. So it's from oil, petroleum. And so when it breaks down, it breaks down into really small pieces. And so that's the thing you'll see even kind of sometimes like there'd be little pieces in your dishwasher sometimes.

But also too, many of them come with a purple detergent and blue, so you have a lot of dyes. And so our dishwasher tablets come from a small business in Tennessee and they're without all plastic packaging. They work just as well. We go through probably about 4,500 of those a month. And so I think it's a really easy way to, again, they're per tablet to try something, but also to get the benefits of some of the heavier,

some of the more popular, some of the ones that you get in the store. The Cascade's been around forever. Like, get all the same benefits without all the plastic.

I love that. So also in preparation for this episode, I replaced some of the items that I use in my kitchen every day. And one thing I wanted to get rid of was the plastic sponges because I would go through them maybe about once or twice a month. And I always felt terrible throwing those plastic sponges away. So I replaced mine with these coconut

Speaker 1 (23:29.742)
scours and I love them. they're gentle enough to use on almost all of your dishes. If I have something that scratches easily, I'm a lot more careful about those. But so far I haven't found that it's ruined any of my dishes. The only thing that I haven't been able to use it for is like stainless steel. If there's like stuck on food on the stainless steel scrubber, I don't use these for that. But for

everything else. I've replaced any kind of scrubbers or plastic sponges with these coconut scours. So I love those.

And the nice thing about these is all the products are backyard compostable. So you're not just throwing them back into a landfill and they naturally can decompose. They'll still take some time. With all the products, you can just throw it in a backyard compost. If you don't compost, you can actually just bury it right in the ground when you're done. And it will, I mean, it'll compost within probably like three or four months. So you're all the products are very mindful about where they come from, but also where they end up.

I love that. It's very important for us that if we get a product, can be backyard compostable. And then for the food, something as simple as this is a bamboo pot scraper. So it gets up all the food that inevitably stays on your pots instead of the plastic one, which if you have one, it'll start to like fray. And that's just because the pan's hot, the plastic will melt and then the plastic ends up in your food. You can end up on the pan. then something as simple as this, it's a sisal fiber.

I love that.

Speaker 2 (25:03.158)
And so it's made from an agave plant and it's a harder bristle. So for some of those really hard to get off foods, this you just really kind of scrub away. And I mean, if you feel kind of just the durability of it.

yeah. That's sharper than the scrubbers that I have.

And if you properly take care of any of the bamboo products, so after I use it, I just kind of let it sit face down like that so the water can drain. I mean, we've had ours for like a year and a half before it's time to compost it. And then what I even do is just use it for something else. So clean the bathroom tile. I will keep it for like a fruit and veggie wash. So you can always reuse the materials for something else. A of times that includes cleaning. But instead of just composting it, getting rid of it.

So how can people that doesn't live locally can support your store?

So we always love new followers on social media. So we have an Instagram, Facebook, I haven't ventured into TikTok yet, I know. But we also, you can order everything online and we do shipping at $6 and then anything over $60 it's free. But we also really encourage people to find a store like this where they live. And so if you live in New Jersey, there's 12 different...

Speaker 2 (26:21.678)
of refill shops you can find in North Dakota. They're all over and they're all independently owned. So while I know that's probably not getting me sales, really the point of this is for everyone in their community to shop at their local refill shop. And so then you're spending less money at places like Target and Costco and that are bigger box stores and you're supporting local.

that. And if you're busy and you can't get to the store in person, do you have other options where they can

Like if you're local, we offer local deliveries on Mondays and then you can always pick up any items in store. So you go on the website for the refill items. just pick your product, say how many ounces you need. And then on Mondays between eight and 10 AM, we'll just leave your containers outside. I'll bring everything that you ordered with me and just refill outside your home. So, and then the way that we know how much you get is we have a

certified scale that you can put your container on, cancel out the weight of the scale, and so then you can fill up as much or as little of the product you like, and that's how we track the amount of ounces without you paying for the weight of the container.

Speaker 3 (27:41.026)
That's amazing. of course, we're going to put all their address, their socials, their webpage in our show notes and also in our social media. So please follow them. It's the best way to support a store is to start by a follow. It doesn't cost anything, but spread the word, you know, talk to your neighbors, talk, maybe you can all your friends, you can come up here, have like a little coffee in the...

shop next door and then come and shop and make it a day, make it fun. This is fun, it helps the planet, it helps your community, it helps you at the end of the day too. It can save you money but it's also better for your body and for your whole family. So do it and thank you very much. Thank you for having us. was amazing.

See you next time!

So how do we get started actually doing this, Nayeli?

Let's share five or a beginning friendly zero waste tips. Okay. This is not for advanced. If you are already in this journey, we really congratulate you and we hope you keep doing it and go to pro. But this is just for the beginners, for the ones who haven't never done it before. So they might sound a little bit basic for you if you're already in this journey, but if you haven't never tried it, this is your chance.

Speaker 3 (29:06.904)
So how about start carrying a reusable kit? This means a water bottle, a coffee cup, utensils, a top bag. There are many even like cafeterias that give you a discount if you bring your own coffee cup. So that might be great. And many places also give you like free ice water. So if you bring your water bottle, there's no need to buy a new water bottle all the time.

So that's it, skip the plastic and save hundreds of single-use items per year. The second tip I will give you is meal plan to cut food waste. Food is the number one item in landfills and reducing food waste cuts methane emissions. But more important, mean, it's about humanity too, you know?

It's like there are so many people in need of this food that if we can cut our own waste, maybe the excess we can donate it, you know? We don't have to like put it on the trash when there are so many needs around the world. Okay, so buy what you need and compose the...

Okay, the third tip is to swap out your disposables. Like you can use silicone baking mats instead of like aluminum foil every time you bake. You can use alternatives to paper towels like rags or there's these, you know, new reusable paper towels that you can find in stores now. You could use a bamboo toothbrush instead of a plastic one.

So there are a lot of alternatives out there now, but those alternatives also pay for themselves quickly because you're reusing them instead of constantly purchasing replacements.

Speaker 3 (31:03.918)
That's right. Another thing is refuse freebies. I am guilty of that. I will declare myself guilty of that. I cannot pass a free pin or a free promotional. And I also feel very bad when people is passing out pamphlets and I feel like I have to grab it. It's just in me, but we have to start thinking like, we really gonna use it? Do we really need it? And many times that's not.

the thing, you know? So, say no to things that you don't need. That will be a basic, basic advice.

Yep. And the fifth tip is learn how to recycle right. Each city has different rules. So it's not the same across the board. Make sure you know what you can and cannot put into your local recycle bin. When we recycle better, we reduce contamination and we increase success. And if there's not recycling in your area,

There are definitely alternatives that we can look into.

Definitely, this is very important. I learned the hard way for a tiny bit. This is one of my anecdotes in life. For a tiny bit, I was living in Japan and I didn't know you have to rinse out every bottle. It has to be rinsed and dry, completely dry to be recycled. I didn't know that and I put the family in trouble because...

Speaker 3 (32:39.724)
They thought I was drying the bottles and I was drying everything and I wasn't. I was just rinsing and putting in the recycle bin. so every time you go somewhere, please learn the recycle rules is very important. And a bonus tip is buy secondhand. I mean, now it's like a trend. All the kids want to go to the thrift stores. I love And I love it. Yes, kids, go do it.

buy online or marketplace, swap clothes between your friends, your family. I mean this was the norm before you used to get like hands down from your... is it the name?

Yes, hand me downs from your siblings.

from your cousins, from your neighbors. So let's put that in fashion again, you know? We save some money and we get still very good quality clothes and still useful. So we don't have to buy new all the time.

Yeah, exactly. And like you mentioned, it is a trend right now. I'm seeing a lot of the teenagers getting involved. If your kids are not involved in the thrift shopping trend, you can get them involved. But there's lots of other things that we can do as a family and just incorporate it as part of our everyday routine. I really feel like

Speaker 1 (34:11.635)
this is one of those things where zero waste sounds so overwhelming, but if we just make those small swaps in our everyday routine, they will make a huge difference, I believe. So yeah, so just make it a family thing.

Definitely, we have to have had it start form from young and last a lifetime.