Zero waste stores local to Colorado where you can purchase groceries with zero to minimal waste in various areas including Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Denver: Litterless
There is also information about where to compost in Colorado, as well as other locations of zero-waste/waste reduction stores in different states.
Life Without Plastic: plastic free options such as bamboo toothbrushes, dental floss in refillable glass bottles, steel straws, etc.
Beeswax Wraps: replace plastic wrap and other plastic containers with Beeswax Wraps to keep your perishable foods fresh
Wooden toothbrushes: use a wooden toothbrush rather than plastic to avoid unnecessary waste from unrecyclable plastics
Reusable Straws: Want to avoid the waste of plastic straws? Use these alternative straws instead
Bar Soaps: ditch the wasteful body wash, shampoo and conditioner packaged in plastic containers and opt for bars instead.
Lush has great products
You can also make your own shampoos and conditioners at home
Reusable To-go Coffee Cup Rental Program: Trying to be sustainable but forgot your mug or thermos? Rent a Vessel coffee cup for free from participating coffee shops and return it within 15 days.
Cloth Produce Bags: It is hard to avoid plastic bags at grocery stores. However, instead of pulling a plastic produce bag from the roles provided, bring a cloth produce bag. These bags can be cleaned and reused! Here are a list of some good ones.
Replace Tampons and Pads: tampons and pads create a lot of waste, and are expensive too. If you are able, replace tampons or pads with menstrual cups and reusable cloth pads. Both are washable and can last many cycles!
Here are good reusable pad brands
If you think a menstrual cup is the best option for you, take this quiz to see what menstrual cup is right for you.
There is also period-proof underwear that is thin, effective and surprisingly stylish.
Buy in Bulk: You can reduce single-use plastic packaging by buying in bulk when you are at the grocery store. You can buy as much or as little of something as you like, but keep in mind that filling a bag means you have a greater amount of food per plastic or paper bag that you use. If you really want to eliminate waste all together, bring a mason jar with you to refill, but figure out the weight so your food is priced correctly.
Grocery stores that sell in bulk: Whole Foods, Sprouts Farmers Market, Lucky’s, Alfalfa
Car Share on CU: rent a car through campus porrtal
Cora Ball for laundry (deterring microfibers/microplastics from entering sewage water).
Bamboo-based Toilet Paper and Tissues: “Who Gives A Crap” determined to prove that toilet paper is about more than just wiping bums. They make all of their products with environmentally friendly materials, and donate 50% of their profits to help build toilets for those in need. To date they have donated over $1.8m Aussie dollars (that’s the equivalent of over $1,300,000!) to charity and saved a heck of a lot of trees, water and energy. Not bad for a toilet paper company, eh?
Machine Washable Bamboo Paper Towels: can be washed up to 120 times
Rechargeable Batteries: recharge your batteries up to 2100 times
Sugar-Cane Based Tree-Free Printing Paper: Made entirely from sugarcane by-products (Bagasse), a readily available and renewable raw material.
Silk Floss with Refillable Containers: A refillable dental floss and 99% zero waste product. A glass container with a stainless-steel cap holds floss that is 100% Mulberry silk.
Silver Infused Bedding by Silvon : antimicrobial bedding that requires far fewer washes → saves energy and deters microplastics from entering waterways as frequently)
Silver Infused Towels by Silvon: A towel set that combines organic cotton with pure silver to naturally eliminate bacteria and provide you with the cleanest towel possible.
SolarGaps: Smart blinds that automatically track the sun. They can function as an alarm clock in the morning and keep your privacy during the night. Easily controlled by your smartphone, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa.
Botanium: Created to make urban gardening simpler, faster and more fun. Designed to make it possible for everyone to grow edible greens indoors.
Lucky Iron Fish: An iron supplement alternative that infuses your cooking with up to seven additional milligrams of iron, more than a third of what you need each day based off traditional nutrition needs.
