A pair of Edmontonians have launched a zero-waste market they hope will increase interest in eco-friendly shopping.
Re:Plenish officially opened its doors Jan. 4, and the weekend-only pop-up store features locally made products, biodegradable personal items like toothbrushes and cotton swabs, and bulk refills of household liquids like shampoo, conditioner and dish soap.
That way, customers don’t have to keep buying plastic-bottled products that can’t break down.
“Everything is reusable or refillable so that it’s a one-time purchase,” said co-founder Karine St-Onge. “Hopefully, no extra waste will be created after that.”
“The inspiration honestly came from looking at our own waste,” co-founder Meghann Law said.
“Once you kind of open your eyes to it, it’s hard to look away.”
Law and St-Onge said that while some other places in Edmonton also offer zero-waste refill options, such as Earth’s General Store, they want to grow the movement in the city.
“The more that we use these types of products and we commit to this type of lifestyle, the cheaper they’ll get in the future,” said St-Onge.
“It’s really a commitment to helping the environment.”
The store will start off being open only on weekends in a pop-up format as the duo still holds full-time jobs, but they hope to eventually lock down a brick and mortar location.
“We wanted to give options for people who were starting to feel that kind of eco-guilt,” said Law.
“Coming and supporting local and buying a zero-waste product is an easy way to reduce that waste.”
Re:Plenish will run from 12-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at 9803 47 Avenue NW.