Today we’re going to get a bit grubby. Come with us if you dare... :)
We’ve been thinking about rubbish (a LOT). And the impact that your garbage can have on your life (and the lives of everyone around you - d’oh).
It’s so easy to NOT think about garbage. It’s not really a very nice thing to think about… it can be smelly, and dirty and pretty gross. Best that it’s someone else’s problem.
Unfortunately that kind of thinking is way too common, and it has created a bit of a mess.
The reality is that the big magic garbage truck doesn’t take care of it, making our garbage vanish, never to be seen (or smelt) again.
All that rubbish just goes into a big hole in the ground where it might stay for a very long time. This is a huge issue because the big holes are filling up and the gases they produce contribute to global warming.
Did you know that rotting food at a dump releases methane? Even though it’s compostable, it’s not being composted correctly. So something that could be so healthy for your garden has ended up being a problem!
(This can be avoided if every household had their own compost bin and took care of their own food waste - it’s super easy to do.)
OK guys… where are you going with this? Ah yes, we digress :)
How Woohoo is helping the war on waste
You already know that we’re 2 people with a crazy vision to shake up the deodorant industry. But the problem is that more beauty products = more garbage.
So now we’ve grown our vision. We would love Woohoo to be a leader in sustainability and recycling. For us to reduce our footprint on the Earth, and to help influence other brands to do the same.
The packaging breakdown … Recycle Recycle Recycle!
Packaging isn’t the full picture, but it’s where we’re going to focus first because it has the biggest impact.
Right now Woohoo uses 100% recyclable packaging.
The Woohoo jars are made from polypropylene (PP) and are easily recycled. We print straight onto our jars so we don’t need labels (these complicate the recycling process). They can be popped right into your recycling bin.
Recyclers grind up the PP plastic into a powder so that it can be reused to make more plastic. Since there aren’t any Aussie PP manufacturers yet, the powder is sold to international manufacturers.
Our boxes are made from recycled cardboard, and - importantly - they’re uncoated.
LOTS of boxes in the beauty industry are coated with a plastic film to make them more durable, but we go with uncoated cardboard because that makes them easier to recycle.
Did you know…. some plastic coated cardboard can’t be recycled? (like disposable coffee cups?).
We also use recycled paper for printing postcards, mailing boxes and compostable void fill to make sure your packages get to you safely if we’re posting them to you.
As a small business we’re doing what we can but we have big ideas and will always be trying to improve. It’s amazing how many more options are available as a business grows :)
It makes us wonder why the big businesses aren’t doing this, as they certainly have the capacity. But it seems like they’re chasing dollar signs instead.
We’re not stopping there
Our biggest goal is for Woohoo jars to not only be 100% recyclable but also made from 100% recycled plastic.
This isn’t as easy as it sounds because finding a supplier has been a huge challenge, but we’ll warrior on!
The Happy Shed is now a drop-off point
Another simple step we’ve taken to increase our eco cred is making Woohoo HQ (the Happy Shed) a drop-off point for hard to recycle items.
We recycle heaps of stuff already but soon we’ll have recycling bins for a stack of hard to recycle items like beauty products, coffee pods, office stationery, mailroom supplies, plastic gloves and food wrappers.
So, Newcastle folks, if you're ever in Adamstown pop on in! You can do some recycling and get some Woohoo at the same time. Oh, and brilliant coffee around the corner. Now that's eco-friendly multi-tasking.
Find us at 12/75 Bailey St Adamstown NSW 2289 AUSTRALIA…. We’ll look forward to meeting you soon :)
