(Photo courtesy of Bare Market via Facebook.com)
It's a gift for Toronto that is package-free.
Toronto's first one-stop shop for package-free goods is on a mission to help reduce your waste.
Canada and the world wastes a lot of plastic. Single-use plastics are increasingly problematic, because of their huge scale of production and given how quickly they go from use to disposal.
It's estimated that 91 per cent of plastics that have been produced have not been recycled. And if current production and waste management trends continue, roughly 12,000 metric tons of plastic waste will be in landfills or in the natural environment by 2050.
Even Starbucks is ditching its plastic straws by 2020.
READ: Toronto Gets World’s First ‘Pay-What-You-Can’ Grocery Store: Feed It Forward
Bare Market says it offers affordable and locally sourced bulk food, body and home care products that are good for you and good for the planet. The company's goal is to make sustainable and ethical living easy and accessible for people from all walks of life.
To pass the "Bare test," packaging cannot be designed to end up in the dump.
And, no, Bare Market doesn't expect you to carry its goods in your hands. (Have you ever tried carrying oil in your hands? It may give softer skin, but that's all you're getting out of that attempt.)
Package-free means its store will not use single-use containers or anything that is made for a landfill. It does not carry or sell products that come in packaging that cannot be reused or composted.
You can also use a donated container for free. Another option is to participate in Bare Market's container-lending program for a 100 per cent refundable deposit.
While it anticipates a permanent location in the future, for now, you can check out its upcoming pop-up shops below.
Upcoming Bare Market Pop-ups
Wednesday, July 11: Toronto City Hall Rotunda (100 Queen Street West, inside) in support of United Way, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday, July 13: Malvern Farmers' Market (25 Sewells Rd), 3 to 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 14: Withrow Farmers' Market (725 Logan Ave), 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sunday, July 22: Patagonia (500 King Street West), 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
