WASHINGTON —
Shopping zero waste can be tough. Especially when you don’t know where to start! Well, look no further. Here are three zero-waste shops you can try across the DMV.
First up is Virginia.
Mason and Greens, located in Old Town Alexandria, opened in early 2020.
“We are what people would call a zero-waste store. We have items from all across the spectrum that are plastic free, natural, and they create little to absolutely no waste,” said Anna Marino, a co-owner of Mason and Greens.
This shop has products ranging from soap and detergent to snacks, drinks and produce. Each product plays its own part in helping the environment.
“Most of the products in the store, if they come with packaging, then that packaging can either be infinitely recycled or composted. The products themselves are all non-toxic, we are 100% palm oil free, [and] we are 100% vegan as well,” said Justin Marino another co-owner of Mason and Greens.
The Marinos hope to encourage people to be ‘conscious consumers’ by using products that aren’t going to last a lifetime.
For the D.C. location, we didn’t have to go too far to meet the owners. The Marinos opened a second location of Mason and Greens. This is the first zero-waste store in The District! This store is even bigger than the one in Virginia and has more inventory too! Best of all, there will be environmental classes at the new shop to educate people on how to live a more environmentally friendly life.
Next stop, Maryland!
The Fullfillery, located in Takoma Park, is another option for low to no-waste shopping.
“We at Fullfilelry are our inventory. When we pick our inventory, it goes through a rigorous process of trying to see if we can get it as local as possible, if it's at an affordable price, and obviously if it comes in minimal packaging,” said Rini Saha the owner of Fullfillery.
This shop has everything you need for an eco-friendly bathroom and kitchen. Some of the best-sellers are the shampoo and conditioner bars. People also love the all-purpose cleaner concentrate. You just take a little bar of soap, pop it in a reusable spray bottle, and once it dissolves it’s ready to use!
An added bonus for this shop? Most of the products are made locally!
“Our soaps and detergents are made locally, a few of our other products are made locally everything we can make locally, we try to get locally,” said Saha.
So no matter where you live in the DMV, you have an opportunity to make a positive impact on the environment by not only shopping local but also shopping zero waste.