beyond food: project plastic overhaul

Whether altering my food purchasing habits is an easy and effective way to reduce my plastic is still up in the air. After some trips to the grocery store, I return with plastic free veggies and maybe a loaf of bread in plastic. And then sometimes, like tonight, I return with bagged popcorn and single serve yogurt. So, reducing my plastic consumption in that area is continually a work in progress. 

However, the other week, I ventured to Bloomingfoods (or Bfoods, as my roommates and I often text) to check out their refillable stations. If you haven't been, I would highly recommend it.  And, while here in Bloomington, we aren't too fond of Whole Foods, I know in some stores they have similar set-ups. 

What's so great about the Bfoods refilling stations? Well, it's not just food.  Of course they have an abundance of bulk food options - including pasta!  But, they also have refilling stations for shampoo, conditioner, and hand soap! 

So, I filled up on some honey - and refilling my current bottle was only ~$2.50 while a new bottle would have been ~$4-$5, for the same exact brand. 

AND, I finally refilled a shampoo bottle. I wanted to reach this point forever. Here's the thing - I actually don't go through shampoo very quickly. Really. I think I bought the bottle I used for refilling about a year ago. So, I finally emptied it and refilled it with the only brand available at Bfoods. 

I'm happy to report, the refillable shampoo is perfectly fine - my hair seems about the same as always! The next time I go to Bfoods on the east or west side, I also hope to get some hand soap. I will gladly keep using the refilling station at Bfoods while I'm in Bloomington.  After graduating, I will seek out this feature at businesses where ever I land and if it's no where to be found, I will be suggesting it to my local stores. :)