Why not start off our zero waste journey with a visit to Minnesota’s first zero waste shop! I planned this visit on a day when I was headed downtown to have lunch with some friends. (see how you already start thinking differently about planning your car trips?) Tare Market is located in the Powderhorn neighborhood of Minneapolis. It’s a store that offers eco-friendly products ranging from personal care products to bulk food items. They also try to source their lifestyle products as locally as possible.
As I appeared to be an obvious first timer, store co-founder Amber Haukedahl was nice enough to walk me around the store. She showed me how to tare the scale in order to weigh your items. She pointed out popular items with her customers, and helped me pick out some things to try. The store also offers events and classes throughout the year.
How to shop
You can bring your own reusable containers (tins, bottles, bags, jars), to purchase these items. It reduces some of that unnecessary packaging you would otherwise bring home from a traditional store. There are also containers for purchase if you don’t have your own.
My Tare Market finds
I use a lot of disposable cotton rounds in the bathroom. I use them for removing nail polish, makeup, and applying facial toner. I’m hoping these washable ones do the trick! I’ve also been intrigued by shampoo bars. These things basically lather up like a bar of soap, and you rub that into your scalp and hair. Excited to test these out!
Product Review: updated 12/1/19
We’ve been using the facial rounds, cotton produce sack, and shampoo bar for a few weeks now. Here’s my review of the items:
- Cute & Funky Organic Facial Rounds, $7.99 for 10 – These organic cotton pads are very soft and silky, they absorb well, and surprisingly wash clean. I’m not much of a make up wearer, so not sure if repeated use would stain these or not. I toss these into a zippered laundry bag to wash.
- Marley’s Monsters Cotton Flannel Rounds, $15.99 for 20 – I like the darker color of these, as I’m not worried about them staining. They are soft, but not as soft as the Cute & Funky ones. With flannel, they do take a few seconds longer to absorb things like toner or makeup remover. I toss these into a zippered laundry bag to wash.
- HiBAR Shampoo, $12.99 – I appreciate the minimal packaging. You can recycle the paper wrapper it comes in. I wasn’t a huge fan initially, only because I miss the scent of my shampoo and conditioners. The hubby uses this and likes it. The scent is very faint, the ingredients are almost entirely plant-based, it lathers surprisingly well, and it’s travel friendly. You might want to get a container to store it in the shower.
- Eco Bags Produce Carry Sack, $5.49 – This mesh bag feels very sturdy and has held up to multiple washings. Depending what I used it for, I’ll toss it in the laundry, or just wash with dish soap in the kitchen. It will shrink a bit, as it is not preshrunk. Works well as a laundry bag too.
