You know, when I started this business, it wasn't out of any great desire to save the planet. I mean, that was nice, and all, but really, what can one small woman do?
The answer may surprise you...because it's actually a lot. Have any of you been fortunate enough to live in a community where organics recycling was a thing? You know...you can toss your coffee grounds...your lettuce ends...the food your kid swore they were hungry for... into an annoyingly biodegradable bag, and then into a yard waste/organics cart? Ever noticed how SMALL your regular garbage collection becomes?
I'd like to argue that the same principle applies to natural products for the home. In using shampoo bars, I'm no longer adding a plastic bottle to the "recycling". In using bar soap, there are no more plastic pumps. In working toward making my own body cream (it's coming, gang) I'm no longer using a plethora of squirt bottles made out of...you guessed it...plastic.
Plastics, you see, not only contain petroleum based substances, but require the uses of toxic chemicals to clean them for recycling. So, no matter what your intent in recycling - and it's FAR better than not - the processes that we have to use to get the lotion/shampoo/substance of choice off the plastic before recycling still are environmentally harmful.
Next week, I'm going to start playing with a new line - waxed fabric food wraps. I've got my testers all lined up, my raw materials are on the way, and I am ready to see what happens when I start playing with formulae for the coating.