New 'zero waste' B.C. businesses battle tide of pandemic packaging

From a rise inonline shopping to an increased appetite for takeout food, the pandemic has added to the growing problem ofpackaging waste.

With more time spent at home, it's hard ignore the mountain of plastic and cardboard even if you're diligently recycling.

"It's in your face a little bit more because it's not just being absorbed by businesses that we're going in and out of, or in an office space," saidTamara Schulman, director of community partnerships for the food systems lab at Simon Fraser University.

Schulman, who is also an independent zero waste planner, says this heightened awareness, coupled with a desire to shop locally, could create opportunities for businesses with a sustainability focus.

A growing number of B.C. entrepreneurs are rising to the challenge.

Reducing grocery packaging, one jar at a time

Emily SproulerunsJarr.co, an online zero-waste grocer.The East Vancouver-based company delivers everything from soap to nuts in canning jars. These arerotated through the company'scustomers, who pay a small deposit on each jar. Most items come fromlocal suppliers, who deliver package-freebulk goods to Jarr'swarehouse. Orders are packaged on demand usingstrict COVID-19 protocols, and delivered to doorsteps once a week.

Sproule started planning Jarr in April2019, after she became frustrated by the amount of packaging wastecoming into her home.The business launchedin May 2020.

The pandemic added some unforeseen obstacles to the launch, from dealing with home learning when schoolsclosed, to a boom in home canning that led to a shortage of jars.

But it also presented a silver lining:an increased appetite for online grocery shopping, which has worked in Jarr's favour.

The company now has several hundred customers and has expanded from Vancouver to Burnaby, North Vancouver and Bowen Island. Sproule says the businesshas helped eliminateover 5,000 pieces of plastic packaging between June 2020 and February 2021. There are similar companies sprouting up in other regions.

Self-serve refills, close to home

In 2018, Andy Choustarted Drinkfill, a self-serve artisan beverage dispensary,because he wanted to cut down on single-use packaging. When the pandemic pushed pause on the refillable kombucha and cold brew stations, Chouturned to cleaning products.

Enter Soap Stand. The self-serve dispensary resembles a bank machine with a spigot for dispensing locally-made dish soap, laundry detergent and other liquid cleaning supplies into reusable containers.

Chou, who describes himself as someone who cares deeply about the environment but can bekind of lazy,says he wanted to "make it super easy for someone like me to go downstairs or to go around the corner to the grocery store to fill up with cleaning products that are reusable and that don't have any single-use plastic."

Soap Stand products run about 35 per centcheaper than their off-the-shelf counterparts. Currently, you can find Soap Standat Famous Foods in East Vancouver. Chou sayshe's in talks to bring Soap Stand to other independent grocers around BC.

Taking the waste out of take-out food

With indoor dining either on hold or very limited, depending onpandemic restrictions, restaurants and customers have been relying on take-out meals. The growing mountain of packaging waste inspiredAnastasia Kiku to start Reusables.com, a zero-waste restaurant takeout option.

Customers pay a membership fee, which allows them to order from participating restaurants. Food is delivered in reusable metal containers, which customers rinse and return to any of the member restaurants. There are currently four restaurants in the pilot, which has been running since February.

Kikuhopes to bring the program to a wider audience.

"I'm hearing a lot of people just feeling so guilty about ordering takeout because of all the waste, at the same time they're really trying to support local restaurants. So it's kind of a catch-22 situation for many people[and]they are super happy to have a solution like this."

Kiku's goal is to create a program that is economically comparable to what restaurants would pay to packaging suppliers. She likens it to bottle-sharing within the brewing industry.

Zero-waste, value-added

Schulman says the valuelocal zero-waste businesses bring to consumers goes beyond the products offered, because they tend to have a "triple bottom line" approach.

"They want to look at environmental, social and economic considerations. If you're looking at who's going to be sponsoring kids, sports groups and different initiatives, those are the folks that tend to put the extra effort in. And they do a lot to educate and raise awareness for people ... and how people can set up their systems at home to make it more sustainable and affordable."

To listen to On the Coast's audio version of this story, click the audio labelled On the Coast: Retail Therapy: zero waste

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