zero waste: the plastic problem + EcoPoof re•view

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mentioned in this post.

The hardest fact to work with as I try to reduce waste is the idea that plastic is evil.

Sure, it's easy enough (usually) to remember to shop with reusable bags and avoid buying any new plastic merchandise, but when I came across this piece discussing all the ways plastic bags show up, I was bummed out. I can avoid produce bags, and hopefully one day I will wean myself from Ziploc usage, but there was one area where I felt hopeless: pet waste bags.

We have no yard. When Anise does her business it's at the park or on a walk. Meaning all bags, no scooper. And those bags get used up quick. So much plastic waste! Not at all what I was hoping to accomplish this year.

How appropriate that I should hear about EcoPoof  just a few weeks after my realization. EcoPoof is also passionate about reducing waste—they produce biodegradable pet waste bags  and sent over a box for us to try with Anise.

I love the idea of biodegradable products, but I always have the same worry that the product will instantly degrade during use—not something I want to be concerned with when I'm picking up poo! Thankfully, Sean popped a roll of these into Anise's dispenser (these fit your standard dispensers), and we both quickly agreed that the bags felt and "worked" just like any other poo bag. Win!

What caught my attention more than the product itself was the company. The desire to actually reduce waste and not just carve a spot in the popular "green" market was clear: the Eco-Poof  bags  themselves were not packaged in any plastic—just the cardboard box you see which is also recyclable. And while I didn't take a picture, there was actually a typo on another side of the box. Rather than waste resources on new boxes, they simply printed the correct spelling on a matching label which they slapped over the error. Sure, it doesn't look fabulous, but we're talking about poop bags here. We don't buy them for their looks.

If you'll excuse me, someone's ready to walk.