Yesterday, I made an exciting trip to Eco + Amour, a zero waste boutique in the east end of Toronto. I found this place after seeing an Instagram post from Lindsey over at Sustainably Savvy about these reusable paper towels. I was so intrigued that I decided to go to the company’s website to see where they were sold. To my surprise and delight, Eco + Amour came up. I live on the east end of the city, and having a zero waste store closer than downtown to me was a huge surprise.
The store is located at 30 Bertrand Ave, close to Warden and Eglington. The space is small, but visually appealing. Lots of floor space for the items to browse around. I had already taken a look at their site to see what I wanted, and had my list. Surprisingly that didn’t include any beauty items!
One of the really unique things about this store is the fact that they do refills including dishsoap, shampoo, conditioner, and even beauty products!
I was very curious to see all the refill bottles behind the counter. On their website they have a very comprehensive list of brands and products that they do refills for. There were definitely a few brands that I recognized (such as Graydon Skincare and Bathorium). I really didn’t need any products though, so I passed on any makeup or skincare today.
My list contained mostly household items. I was able to find everything I was looking for which was great. I got a chance to meet one of the co-founders, Laura. You could definitely tell her passion for the store and everything it stood for. She was kind enough to give me and Leah their mesh re-usable bag. I’m so happy to show you everything I picked up from the store.
First off, what I went to Eco + Amour for…a reusable paper towel.
Ten & Co Reusable Sponge Cloth
This Ten & Co cloth, funny enough was not the brand that had originally led me finding about Eco + Amour. I’m sure this will do the job though. I have other reusable towels, but I find they harbour the worst smells because they never get dry. This is coarse and hard when dry so I have high hopes that it doesn’t sit their in its own wetness and get stinky! I tend to use a LOT of paper towels and I’m hoping this helps to curb that addiction.
e + a Straw and Brush Kit
I’ve been looking into reusable straws for awhile as it has been recently very well publicized about plastic straws. I decided to get this kit which contains a straight straw, bendy straw, straw cleaner, and case. Hopefully this is can be another easier way to cut down on my plastic waste.
e + a Produce Bags
Another HUGE point of waste for me is produce bags. After moving out last year and then doing my own grocery shopping, it was so easy to grab the produce bags at the store. The kit contains 5 mesh bags in various sizes. I already use re-usable shopping bags when grocery shopping so I’m hoping it will be easy to transition these into my routine!
Earthology Beeswax Food Wraps
Last but not least is the Earthology food wraps. I’ve seen beeswax food wraps before, but only recently, have been thinking of easy ways to become a bit more zero waste. I thought I’d start with the snack pack size. We frequently have a lot of open things in our fridge, so hoping I can try these wraps to help. Taking food to work, I’m also SO bad with using lots of ziploc bags. I hope that I can use these to take snacks in my lunch bag without the extra plastic.
e + a Mesh Bag
This was the bag that was generously given to us by Laura (thanks so much again!). I’m building up my reusable bag line up, and I don’t have any bag similar to this! I will definitely add this to my grocery shopping bags to use!
That’s everything that I ended up picking up! I can’t say that I’m necessarily a ‘zero waste warrior’ or a true environmentalist, but I want to try and make small changes in my personal life that could add up to a larger impact. I’m excited to try out the new products and see if I can continue to cut down on the amount of disposable plastic that I produce.
Thanks so much for reading! Have a great day!
*Purchased other than mesh bag.