Hello, everyone! I hope that you have been safe and warm the past few weeks. In case you don’t live in Ontario, we’ve been experiencing winter storm after winter storm. I’ve never seen this many extreme weather alerts in such a short time frame…
If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my story a few weeks ago hinting at this post. Now that it is complete, I am so excited to share with you another interview! I believe that the couple behind this amazing company are two of Ontario’s most innovative sustainability entrepreneurs. I was elated, then, when Ellin a.k.a. one of the co-founders of Zero Waste Bulk, agreed to do an interview with me!
ZWB is a zero-waste grocery store that opened in December 2018 in Waterloo, Ontario by Ellin and Kevin. I had been waiting for this store to open for almost a year, as soon as I read the announcement online that ZWB was coming to Waterloo. Already the store has attracted thousands of shoppers and media as it paves the way for sustainable shopping in our province.
When shopping at the store you have two options: bring your own reusable containers or pay a deposit to borrow/purchase one of the store’s containers. They have everything you could think of, from fresh produce to locally made bread (from one of my favourite cafe’s!), to cleaning supplies, personal care, frozen foods and more! When the produce is reaching the end of its life, they offer the items at a discounted price/free and share it in their Instagram story. They also sell items online on their website. They are always seeking new ideas for products and love feedback from the community.
Without further ado, let’s learn more about what it’s like to run Zero Waste Bulk.
What inspired you to start your Zero Waste journey? Have you always been interested in protecting the environment?
Ellin: I first heard of “zero waste” when I connected with minimalist communities about two years ago. It started with a journey of re-evaluating my possessions. How did I accumulate so much stuff and why was I so attached to my possessions? I was a borderline hoarder, but being surrounded by clutter was a constant source of stress. A key moment was when I realized I didn’t have an organization problem – it was a “too much stuff” problem. Too much stuff that didn’t even bring me joy (I was definitely inspired by Marie Kondo – now trending on Netflix). I realized much of this stuff I was decluttering was destined for the landfills, and this bothered me a lot as I’ve always wanted to prevent things from being wasted (that was part of the reason I held onto so much stuff). Being critical about my material possessions also led to the re-evaluation of my consumption habits. That’s where minimalism and zero waste overlap – both involve becoming a conscious consumer.
I’ve always been interesting in protecting the environment, but did not realize that so much of the waste I regularly produced could be avoided. In terms of waste, I thought recycling was good enough, but it’s best to avoid having to recycle in the first place. Recycling is just a form of waste management. What we want to do is reduce recycling by creating systems of reuse. Recycling is still resource intensive, and putting things in the blue bin does not necessarily guarantee that the item will get recycled. In addition, plastic “recycling” is really downcycling. Every time plastic goes through the recycling process, its quality deteriorates; plastic cannot be recycled forever – it eventually becomes waste.
Producing loads of garbage on a regular basis is so normalized we don’t really give it a second thought, but much of the garbage we produce can be avoided by being prepared with reusables and becoming mindful of our consumption habits.
What made you want to open Zero Waste Bulk? When did you officially decide that you were going to open the store?
Ellin: As I began trying to live zero waste two years ago, I realized that it was inconvenient. If there were a one-stop shop where you could shop zero waste, this would be much easier. I’ve heard of other zero waste shops popping up around the world and wanted to see one near me, but as far as I knew, this wasn’t happening. I did not want to wait for someone else to start a zero waste store in the area since I didn’t know how long that would take. So I decided I would take the initiative and start one myself. It took about two years from the birth of the idea to the opening of the store.
Did you have any experience as an entrepreneur prior to opening ZWB? If not, what was the process of opening your own store like?
Ellin: Nope! I had little interest in starting my own business, especially a brick-and-mortar business. The process of opening my own store was definitely a huge learning process. There are so many details to take care of to open your own store – it’s something I would not be able to cover here.
Why did you choose to open the store in Uptown Waterloo?
Ellin: First, the location had to be somewhere I could walk to since I don’t drive. I chose Uptown Waterloo because it is central and visible. I wanted the store to be in a place where random people walking by would walk in and become introduced to the idea of shopping zero waste rather than it being in a location that would only draw in people already interested in sustainable living.
How do you find the products that you sell in store? Do you prioritize local/organic/ethically made products?
Ellin: Lots of research and connecting with the online zero waste community and local businesses. Yes, we prioritize products made locally, organically, and ethically. Though this often means that the price points also tend to be higher than if the products were mass produced, outsourced, and made in unethical conditions.
Since it was announced that Zero Waste Bulk was opening in Uptown, there has been a lot of hype and support for the store. It’s only been open for a month now and is already so successful. Did you ever imagine that the store would do so well, so quickly?
Ellin: No way! We were blown away by the support and people’s eagerness to learning to shop the BYOC way. We are proud of the community’s dedication to reducing waste!
Were there ever times that you felt discouraged during this process? How did you get through the tough times?
Ellin: Lots. I just tell myself you only live once – might as well try and fail than not try and forever wonder what could have happened if you tried.
What was the most challenging part of making ZWB a reality?
Ellin: Finding the right location.
Do you have a favourite memory that you made throughout the whole process of opening ZWB?
Ellin: Renovations were pretty fun as we got to connect with an amazing community of volunteers who wanted to help us make ZWB happen.
What’s your best tip for someone just starting their journey towards a more Zero Waste lifestyle?
Ellin: It takes practise to create a habit. Work on creating new habits, one or just a few at a time. Don’t get discouraged if you forget to bring reusables with you and end up accepting disposables. That is totally normal when you are starting out. Just keep trying and eventually becoming prepared with your reusables for all sorts of situations will become automatic. It’s also normal to feel weird about bringing your own containers to restaurants and such, but often times people love seeing us packing away our leftovers or putting food in our own containers. Also, if you keep forgetting to bring your own bag, it helps to hang them on the doorknob right after you come home so you remember to take them with you again when you leave the house.
What’s your favourite product in the store (available now or coming soon)? 🙂
Ellin: In terms of non-food products, one of my favourite items is the round stainless steel Onyx container. I also love the U-Konserve nesting trio containers. They are always with me in my backpack!In terms of food… That’s hard! A few of my favourites: Maple syrup pecans, organic dried mangos, and the gaia mix (the best trail mix)!
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It’s hard not to be inspired by Ellin’s story. I seriously am amazed at how determined her and Kevin were to open Zero Waste Bulk, without any prior business experience. Their story shows that you really can do anything that you set your mind to. Thank you, Ellin, for sharing your journey on my blog! I know that your store will inspire and empower anyone who reads it. If you want to learn more about Ellin, Kevin and the story of ZWB, check out their Instagram, Facebook or website!
Next time you are feeling discouraged, or have a dream but have no clue how to bring it to life, do not give up. Yes, it could be a long and hard process with numerous setbacks and challenges. No successful business owner, actor, singer, writer, politician, engineer or student could be where they are without hard work. Take the setbacks and challenges you face as a learning process. The more you learn from your mistakes, the better equipped you will be to face similar challenges in the future, and the stronger you will be when you achieve your dreams. Don’t stop yourself from achieving your dreams just because you’re afraid of failure: often times, failure is the best way to learn.
I hope that you all have a great day, and thank you as always for reading!
Until next time!