Photo courtesy of The Glass Pantry
As consumers strive to reduce single-use plastic waste from their households, stores dedicated to offering zero-waste products have popped up throughout the United States, allowing customers to purchase bulk foods and even liquids like shampoo and body wash with B.Y.O. refillable packaging like Mason jars.
While several grocers throughout Milwaukee have bulk foods sections and promote reduce-reuse-recycle concepts, Jenna Meier, of The Glass Pantry (1039 S. 5th St.), recalls having to shop at several stores in order to get what she needed while meeting her household’s zero-waste goals. “Nobody has time for that!” Meier says, so she sought to bring food, cleaning supplies and health and beauty items all under one roof, offering goods in bulk or with eco-conscious packaging.
“As someone who tries to be sustainably focused, I know how hard it can be,” she says. “If buying zero-waste things were just a little bit easier, we’d all feel better and could all make a bigger impact.” Meier’s plans for opening The Glass Pantry in April hit a speedbump due to the pandemic, but she’s adjusted. After offering online ordering only during spring, the store is now open to walk-in customers, with safety restrictions, from Tuesday-Thursday, noon to 6 p.m., and Wednesday, Friday and Saturday noon to 5 p.m. Masks are required, and they’re allowing a limited number of shoppers in the store at a time. Customers can also order online, and those within Milwaukee County can get free delivery with a minimum order of $20. Contactless curbside pickup is also available.
To align with the store’s eco-conscious business model, they have a large selection of donated, sanitized jars for people to choose from and fill when they come in. For delivery, they are packaging most dry goods in recyclable or compostable paper bags. For liquid items like dish soap, shampoo, cooking oil or vinegar, Meier uses branded glass jars that people can buy on a deposit system. Customers pay $4 for the jar, and they can either keep it, or The Glass Pantry will buy it back. They are also a pickup location for online orders from Farm Happy in Jackson, Wis.
Focusing on Wisconsin Products
Meier has three product categories: pantry staples, personal care products and household cleaners. “We’ve got local flour and oats, and Wisconsin maple syrup. All of our soaps are made in Wisconsin,” she emphasizes. Unique finds include Red Stone Rice, founded by Michael Schläppi, a professor of biology at Marquette University. There’s granola and trail mix from Nature’s Bakery Cooperative, in Madison, or elderberry syrup, known for immune boosting properties, crafted by Cassie's Natural Living, in Milwaukee. The olive oil comes from Saffi Foods, in Madison, which packages oil in repurposed wine bottles. The Glass Pantry also stocks dry bulk pasta, spices, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes, olive oil, loose leaf tea and chocolate chips. Meier notes that most foods she carries are organically produced.
Among the cleaning products, customers can find Scour Powder Cleaning Scrub or Crystal Clean Glass Cleaners, made by Viren Apothecary, in Oconomowoc. Healthy and beauty items include bar soaps made by Abbondanza Soap Co., in Milwaukee, or Perennial Soap, in Racine. There’s also Viroqua-based LuSa Organics natural deodorants, packaged in biodegradable cardboard tubes. LuSa also makes a tooth powder that comes in a glass jar.
Their Oneka brand shampoo and body wash is sold in a refillable plastic bottle. Customers pay an additional $2 bottle deposit and can either keep the bottle to refill, or The Glass Pantry will buy it back after use. “It’s refillable and will easily fit the dispenser of our bulk pump,” Meier explains. “Hopefully, it will be your last plastic shampoo bottle.”
The Glass Pantry also stocks bamboo cutlery, cloth napkins, reusable facial rounds, “un-paper” towel sets and cloth bowl covers. “People are still looking to reduce their waste in some small way, even though it’s harder right now (during the pandemic),” Meier concludes. “Just do the best you can.”
For more information and updates, visit The Glass Pantry website or their Facebook page.
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