Your messages keep me going when I feel overwhelmed by the scope of our waste problem. So why should I keep your inspirational wins to myself?! Well, I shouldn’t. Moving forward I’ll be sharing your wins and inspirational messages anonymously, so keep them coming! They make my day and inspire us all!
As a small handmade business, I’m always counting. The price of a product isn’t just the materials. I count the materials, my time, packaging costs, shipping costs, accounting costs, business license costs, marketplace fees, web hosting fees, office supplies, and so much more. Keeping prices competitive and profitable is a tricky business in and of itself. And more so as I move toward more eco-friendly options rather than just low-cost items.
For example, organic fabric costs about $15.50-16 per yard, while quality cotton fabric of the same weight costs about $9.50-10 per yard. The bubble mailers I have used for a long time cost $24.50/case. Switching to a more eco-friendly bubble mailer costs $49.50 for the same amount. The bottom line, going green costs more money and that is tricky for small businesses with low margins. I don’t mean this as an excuse. Just to state a fact.
Working Lunch. The last time I was counting Etsy costs.
Holy Bubble Mailers, Batman
Mailers are important for online businesses. My primary job after making an item is making sure it gets to my customer safe and sound. So to be honest, when I started this business, my priority was to find quality mailers at bulk prices. I just wasn’t thinking about all the extra plastic I was sending into the world.
Last year, when my business kicked up during back-to-school shopping, I was struck with the realization that I was shipping a good deal of plastic out. Like wow!
One day’s outgoing. Yay! And also oof!
But I’m not one to just shrug my shoulders. I started looking into alternatives. I found an awesome company called Eco Enclose that specializes in making eco-friendly packaging and they send FREE samples! So even though I still have nearly 100 mailers to work through, I ordered some samples to try out. That way, when I run out (I haven’t yet), I’d be ready to make an eco-friendly switch.
Mailer Testing
I sampled everything. I tried thick 100% recycled/recyclable/reusable cardboard and padded mailers but they were too heavy and increased shipping costs by a significant amount.
I tried a more thin 100% recycled/recyclable Kraft paper mailer but my tester kindly let me know the mailer arrived with a tear. So no.
I tried a 100% recycled/reusable/recyclable poly mailer but my products don’t fill it out and it felt too flimsy.
Finally, I tried a bubble mailer made from 32.6% post-industrial recycled content (51% recycled content in the outer layer, 8% recycled content in the bubble layer, and 8% recycled content in the capping layer). These can be recycled and have an extra adhesive strip to be reused! I’ve sampled all the sizes and found one that will work for most items. It is smaller than my preferred mailer size so I’ll have to fold things up more than I prefer, but what a small sacrifice for more peace-of-mind.
No, 32.6% recycled content is not perfect, but it’s better. And it’s honest. And although they cost twice as much for a smaller size, I know they are the right choice. This options blends my desire to waste less and get items to my customers safely and at a low cost. Eco Enclose is also actively working on increasing the recycled content of these mailers. Look out for these mailers coming from pen&thimble soon!
So that’s the story about mailers. If you have questions, feel free to ask! I’m always open to tailoring the way you get your mail too! When making a purchase, you can always leave note like “no extra packaging please” and I’ll be happy to send you your items with minimal packaging! More on packaging inside the mailer in a future post.
Are You Waste Free Curious Too?
If producing less waste is something you might be into this year, I’d love if you’d join me! Follow my personal and business waste-free journey from the comfort of your inbox. Sign up to so you don’t miss a thing: Click here to sign up! You’ll get a plastic-free produce storage cheat sheet just for signing up! Also, I’m using the hashtag #wastefreecurious on Instagram to share our waste free journey. I’ve just started the hashtag and I’m sharing our waste free wins and fails and tough spots with a mix of posts and Stories. So come on over!
Pro: Once you do a little research — and there are tons of sites and cheat sheets out there — it’s pretty easy! We have a list of dos-and-don’ts on our fridge for reference. It’s not comprehensive, but it’s a guide.
Also composting doesn’t require tons of extra time. Instead of scraping carrot shavings into the trash bin, we scrape them into the compost bucket on our counter.
Con: It is truly easy, but it also takes some care. You don’t just dump some food in the bin and magic up some soil in a few weeks. There’s a little bit of watering, turning, and layering involved.
2. You Need The Right Tools + Info
Pro: I swear composting this time around is way more pleasant with the right kitchen counter bin. It doesn’t stink, we haven’t been swarmed with fruit flies, and the waste slides right out of this thing! It’s magic and added a major level of ease! You can find our favorite here. It’s not an affiliate link or anything, just what we use.
Con: We learned the first time around that having the perfect outside bin didn’t mean we were composting correctly. Our inherited bin, albeit a nice compost bin, was not in an optimal location, it was already full of non-compostable items, and we didn’t know what we were doing. So the right tools + information is key.
3. It’s Not Just A Food Dump
Pro: You can put way more than food waste in your compost. Compostable takeout containers, compostable mailers, lawn clippings, leaves, egg shells, coffee grounds and filters, and tea bags can go into your compost too! WHAT!? Yes!
Con: Some food waste is on the NO COMPOST list: meat, grease, oil, bones, and dairy are often no-nos. I’ve heard citrus peels and the papery outer layer of the onion should be on the no list too, but the messages on this seem to be mixed.
4. The Kids Love It
Pro: It’s new, it’s fun, it’s got worms! My girls are INTO composting. My oldest wants to join me every time I go outside to empty the kitchen food waste bin. She loves to inspect our growing pile and we both love grabbing a little alone time on a quiet evening — even if it is by a decomposing heap of food waste.
Con: Waiting for the waste to turn into soil. My kids sort of thought it might take a day to make soil. But we think it’s going to be worth the wait!
5. Waste Free Synergy
Pro: Composting fits so well into our #wastefreecurious life. I can’t say that composting alone has dramatically reduced our curbside trash, but I can say that this journey we started in January (just 4 months ago!), that includes getting back into composting, no longer buying paper towels, bringing our own bags to the market, and recycling textile waste, has reduced our curbside trash from 4-5 bags of trash per week to 1.5 – 2 bags. And we’re working on making that just 1 bag.
This journey has helped us pay more attention to recycling, buying, and travel habits and those have had a huge impact on our waste overall. And not just us. My child got recognition from her teacher for picking up garbage at recess. They love to help me wheel the recycling and trash bins inside after school. It’s all connected.
She loves the Earth!
Con: We can do better. This isn’t a con really, it’s a reminder that we’ve come so far, but we have so much more to do. We’re just taking it one step at a time. Our next step: before you throw that shirt away, donate that coat with the missing button, or toss that shoe with the broken velcro strap, let’s talk about mending!
Are You Waste Free Curious Too?
If producing less waste is something you might be into this year, I’d love if you’d join me! Follow my personal and business waste-free journey from the comfort of your inbox. Sign up to so you don’t miss a thing: Click here to sign up! You’ll get a plastic-free produce storage cheat sheet just for signing up! Also, I’m using the hashtag #wastefreecurious on Instagram to share our waste free journey. I’ve just started the hashtag and I’m sharing our waste free wins and fails and tough spots with a mix of posts and Stories. So come on over!
April is our get-back-on-track-with-composting month!!
We have the outside bin, we have the food waste, but we need a restart. So this is the perfect April #wastefreecurious challenge for us! Thanks to everyone who gave us suggestions on Instagram a few weeks ago! This was one of them and my husband and I both knew this had to be the one!
At the end of last summer, our bin became home to a bee colony. We ended up avoiding the thing because every time we (my husband) went near the bin, we (my husband) got stung. And we’re super Pavlovian like that. We tried to get a few bee people to our house to relocate the bees, but that didn’t work out. And our local farm CSA has composting so we had an alternative for the rest of the summer and fall, but we just sort of ended up out of the habit and stopped. Not for the first time.
OUR Compost Plan
We’ll check that the bees are gone, dump the contents of the bin in our yard debris pile, and start all over. Patrick feels pretty sure the bees are gone. So fingers crossed.
Past Compost Challenges
We haven’t done a very good job with composting in the past, to be honest. It has looked like a lot of starts and stops. But this will be our month to sort it all out. This month, we’ll be addressing these issues we’ve had in the past:
Fruit flies attracted to the compost bucket in the kitchen. We’re going to try a new bucket or just make peace with fruit flies.
Fragrant smell of food waste on the kitchen counter. Again, we’re trying a new bucket, but if that fails we will have to reframe that smell. “The sweet smell of waste reduction!”
Our compost hasn’t really decomposed well in the past. We inherited our outside compost bin when we moved into our house 3 years ago. We assumed it was as simple as throwing food waste into the bin. It is NEARLY that simple, but in preparation for this challenge I did some research and learned there is more to it.
Our outside bin should be in the sun, not the completely shaded location it’s in now.
We need to stir it up once in a while.
The previous bin owners put a bunch of large sticks in there and they just won’t break down like leaves and food, so that’s why we’re dumping and starting over with a bottom layer of already decomposing leaves (yay yard clean-up!)
We need to make it a system/habit. Like our previous paper towel and grocery bag challenges, for us the most important part of this challenge is just taking this month to focus our attention to make new habits and systems for composting.
Photo by Gabriel Jimenez on Unsplash
Our Composting Tools
Compost Bin Outside
Kitchen Compost Bucket
Shovel To Stir Compost Down The Line
Backyard Composting Alternatives
You don’t need to have a big yard to better dispose of your own food waste. You don’t even need a yard at all!
Vermicomposting – You can compost in an apartment kitchen or balcony or outside with worms and a bin.
Many waste management companies collect food waste and compost in addition to trash and recycling.
If you live near a farm, they may be happy to collect your compost. Something to look into!
Meal plan so that you waste less food. I make a curry the same week I make quiche to make sure I use up all of our heavy cream and it doesn’t end up being dumped out!
Let’s Break It Down Together — The Food Waste, I Mean
Who composts already? Who is ready to try? Who is composting curious? Let me know! What could be more fun than talking about decomposing food garbage all month?
Shameless pen&thimble product PLug
And when it comes to wasting less when snacking is involved. Don’t forget to skip the plastic baggies and grab a reusable snack bag or a bundle and save! Eat it all or compost anything that remains and simply wash the bag when you’re finished! That’s easy no-waste snacking!
Are You Waste Free Curious Too?
If producing less waste is something you might be into this year, I’d love if you’d join me! Follow my personal and business waste-free journey from the comfort of your inbox. Sign up to so you don’t miss a thing: Click here to sign up! You’ll get a plastic-free produce storage cheat sheet just for signing up. And you’ll get pen&thimble exclusive coupon codes — yay waste free products for less!
Also, I’m using the hashtag #wastefreecurious on Instagram to share our waste free journey. I’ve just started the hashtag and I’m sharing our waste free wins and fails and tough spots with a mix of posts and Stories. So come on over!
pen&thimble 