Fill er' Up

With great satisfaction yesterday I took my empty 32 ounce bottle of Ecocover dish washing liquid and an 11 ounce bottle of Avalon Lavender Shampoo with me when I left the apartment.

Why you may ask was I carrying empty plastic with me around town? Well...

...my first stop was the Green Depot who have 4 big tubs of bulk cleaners (dish, all purpose, window, tub and tile in both scented and unscented) at the front of their enviro-wonderland of a store on the Bowery. They refilled my empty container for me at a cost of $4.16 (9 cents an ounce or thereabouts) a savings of at least a dollar if not more depending on the brand you buy and where you buy it. It was great to know that this plastic packaging was going to see more of a life then one filling followed by a landfill.

Next stop on my journey was Commodities on First avenue, about a ten minute walk north. This store has been one of my favorites for years and yet it has taken me this long to realize that behind the checkout counter are all sorts of bulk goodies. I was able to refill my shampoo bottle with Nature's Gate shampoo for a mere $3.69, a total bargain.

A few words of caution here. As much as I love the idea of lowering my carbon footprint I do wish Commodities would change the brands of the items they sell in bulk, specifically the shampoo. This morning when I gleefully started to lather up my hair I was a little put off by the fake suntan lotion smell of the shampoo and the persistent oil nature of it. The other option they offer is that brand that shall go unnamed with all the weird fanatical vaguely antisemitic ramblings on it, the label itself is a small novella - you know the one. Well if you ever think to buy that brand please, take 45 minutes or seconds and actually read the ramblings on the packaging, then put it down and move on to a less, er, how shall I put it, ah yes - dogmatic - brand of shampoo.

The great thing about Commodities is that they are very receptive to suggestions.