Here’s a sustainable travel hack: Shop at your local refill store

Often before a trip, many of us purchase cheap, small plastic containers, plastic foldable toothbrushes, and any number of items with plastic components. That way, we can discard them while traveling as we use up those conveniently sized consumables.

But what if there is an affordable and environmentally friendly alternative to these travel-size plastic bottles, bags and tubes?

Head to a refill store — and there are a few locally owned small businesses that offer items in bulk in the Denver metro area. There, you can purchase mostly plastic-free products for home and personal care.

New Moon Refillery and other refill stores are for more than just re-using your laundry detergent jug with a refill of concentrated soap. Most items in these stores can be composted or recycled, which is better for the environment than plastic materials. According to the University of Colorado at Boulder Environmental Center, “It takes more than 1,000 years for plastic to decompose. Every plastic bottle, straw and container ever thrown away is still intact and somewhere on Earth.”

There are a variety of items available in bamboo, agave fiber, cotton and other environmentally-friendly containers for home and travel. Consider these for your next trip (all found at New Moon Refillery in Lakewood):

• Toothpaste tablets in a compostable package or bulk, along with a bamboo toothbrush (the bristles are made from castor bean oil). This does take some getting used to, but it replaces the plastic brush and bristles as well as the plastic tube of toothpaste. There is also vegan dental floss made from wax and corn starch that come in a reusable glass jar. The toothbrush is only $5 and the tablets start at $12.
• Bar shampoo and conditioner can replace those sold in plastic bottles. They come in a reusable glass jar or a compostable box, depending on the brand. The Refillery also sells empty metal and glass travel-size bottles to fill with your own preferred hair products (some components, like a like or pump, are made of plastic). Priced at $10 to $24.
• Woven bags made of agave fiber are sold to hold bars of soap (or bars of shampoo and conditioner). These are $4 and can be used over and over again.
• Shaving soap made of bentonite clay and a mixture of oils is sold in a bar wrapped in compostable paper. Cost: $8.
• Lotion, deodorant and lip balm are all available in compostable cardboard tubes (which are often lighter and easier to pack than the traditional bottles).
• For concerns about traveling with anything wet — like a freshly used shampoo bar — look for heavy-duty reusable bags made from silicone, which is not compostable but can be reused more frequently than a plastic bag.
• Cotton and bamboo swabs can replace the kind made with plastic, and they can be used for personal care or cleaning delicate electronics.
• Small bamboo travel cases for storing sensitive items.
• Washable and reusable cotton flannel facial wipes that can be used instead of prepackaged wipes wrapped in plastic.

You can find many of these same items at Off the Bottle Refill Shop in Capitol Hill, along with some additional things:

• A bamboo utensil set. I’ve never taken utensils with me unless I’m camping, and then they are metal and reused, but even in that scenario I can see how the possibility of leaving something behind might be a risk.
• A set of charcoal water filters to use with local tap water so you reduce the need for plastic bottled water.
• Stainless steel straws (in assorted colors) and straw cleaning kit, or bamboo straws.

These refill stores will also allow you to bring in your own containers and fill them with a product they stock, such as lotion or soap. And if you’re ditching some old plastic items, bring them in to New Moon Refillery for recycling.

For food, Nude Foods Market (at 3538 W. 44th St.) is a bulk market where you can shop for items that are not all prepackaged. Some can make ideal travel snacks, with a nutritional punch that often is lacking in airline food. For example, beet chips or carrot chips can be put in your preferred reusable travel bag or box. For indulgences, there are items like flavored popcorn or chocolate-covered peanut butter cups.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that “containers and packaging make up a major portion of municipal solid waste, amounting to 82.2 million tons of generation in 2018 (28.1 percent of total generation). Packaging is the product used to wrap or protect goods, including food, beverages, medications and cosmetic products.”

There’s a lot to think about when preparing for a trip, but it can benefit you and the planet you are exploring to consider less waste in what you choose to take with you.