What do I do with your courier bags and card tubes back at Mcginns HQ? How do I close the circle, to allow you to be waste free? Rewind for a minute to the start, when I carefully chose consumables to minimise packaging waste.
When I choose packaging for a product, I have the end of its life in mind. I choose glass for refillable products, and offer rebates of 50 cents for return of glass units, and for keeping and reusing your pump or dropper top with a refill. I use cardboard tubes are used for balms, and I welcome these tubes back again for my compost.
Additionally, I have a Swappa Pot refill service designed to service areas outside Christchurch. I send out products, with a return courier bag inside. This return bag is made from home compostable plant plastic or heavy duty card. I do this because when you return your empties for their refill, there is then no order waste – and all packaging is simply shuffled off out back for composting.
You can see in the split gallery picture a before and after shot of ‘plant plastic’ in my compost pile. Day one on the left, and day 60 on the right. See there, all but the adhesive strip is broken down to CO2 and water. Cool eh?! Its a win for diverting waste to landfill, and for minimizing packaging waste. Also, it has helped create my own personal garden gold, compost, which helps plants thrive. I am so in love with compost. But more on this amazing natural process another day. For today, check out Goodlife Permaculture to be inspired in your own back yard.
