Waste Not Want Not: Ways to Reduce Household Waste

New Way Refillery adds a fourth ‘r’ to ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’: Refill

Written by: Madeline Nowak, Sustainability Editor

Photos by: Jordan Neifert

In 2022*, Mesa County had the 7th most solid waste but the 9th highest population out of all the counties in the whole of Colorado.

Mesa County produced 697,967 cubic yards of solid waste. Colorado as a whole produced 27,582,061 cubic yards, the highest in three years. 

Waste can feel like an insurmountable problem, but there are many ways to reduce personal and household waste, for anyone interested in looking.

^{_{*The most recent report on waste in Colorado is from 2022}}

Single Use Plastics

Someone looking to reduce the waste they produce in their own home might start by becoming aware of all the times throughout the day they find themselves reaching for single use plastics, which are exactly what they sound like – plastics that are used once, and then thrown away to go sit in a landfill.

“As you’re going through your daily motions, try to be cognizant of where you’re using single use plastics,” Lindsay Knecht, owner of New Way Refillery and health coach, said, “Are you reaching for saran wrap? Are you reaching for a ziploc baggie? Could you put that in a container that you have instead?” 

Plastic plates and plastic forks might make for an easier after-dinner cleanup, but they aren’t the most waste conscious choice. 

If awareness is the first step to waste reduction, step two is to slowly transition out of using plastic items.

“A lot of times people will want to just totally overhaul their house, and while, yes, that’s a good thing, that’s not the most sustainable approach,” Knecht said, “we encourage you to use what you have. That’s going to be the most sustainable solution: using what you already own and what you already have, and then look at replacements or other solutions.” 

A simple example of this is if someone owns a plastic hairbrush, throwing it out and then going out and buying a brand new plastic hairbrush is fine, but the plastic hairbrush could have lasted another decade, and now it’s sitting in a landfill, which is the opposite of the desired effect. 

However, if you have a plastic hairbrush that needs replacing already, because it’s broken or too old to use, that is the perfect time to replace your hairbrush with a bamboo version. 

The Effectiveness of Recycling

“People think, you know, well, nothing gets recycled, so I’m just going to throw everything away,” Knecht said, “and the other opposite end of the spectrum is wish cycling where you just throw everything that’s plastic in the recycling.”

There are six main types of plastics and a seventh category for miscellaneous plastics. The emblem on the bottom of plastics that most people believe means that the plastic is recyclable is actually intended to mark the kind of plastic the product is made of. This misconception bothers Knecht.

“What that emblem tells you is what category of recycling it goes into, not necessarily that it’s always going to be recycled,” Knecht says, “it depends on your municipality.”

The Grand Junction recycling drop off has a contamination rate of about 3%, which means that about 97% of the plastics brought to the recycling drop off are able to be recycled. A 3% contamination rate is definitely low. 

New Way Refillery

Another way to cut back on single use plastics is the fourth, underappreciated ‘R’: Refill. 

“Your shampoo bottle, your laundry jug, they’re very sturdy and very heavy duty plastics that will last for literally ever,” Knecht said. “You can refill them for years and years.” 

That is one of the main services offered by New Way Refillery, right here in Grand Junction. Laundry detergent, shampoo, lotion, deodorant and more are sold separate from the packaging. Customers can bring their own packaging, or purchase refillable, recyclable containers at the store and return to top up whenever they run out. 

The store itself is close to zero waste; rather than bringing in tub after plastic tub of detergent or body wash, the products are brought in via resealable bags, which are then returned to the manufacturers of the products to be refilled and shipped out again, so that there is no unnecessary waste.

When asked what the most sustainability friendly product in the store was, Knecht brought up the bamboo products they sell.

“I mean, hands down it’s going to be our hand wash and laundry detergent. It’s a trick question,” Knecht said, “but I’d say next to the refills would be the bamboo.” 

The most popular product on the other hand, Knecht says, is the shampoo and conditioner bars.

“They don’t contain water, which is what you’re paying for when you’re buying a liquid shampoo,” Knecht says.

The mission of New Way Refillery is to help Grand Valley residents reduce their single use waste, which makes them a valuable resource for anyone looking to make a change in their waste habits. For more information about New Way Refillery, go to https://www.newwayrefillery.com.