Photo: Chaiel Schaffel (WBZ NewsRadio)
BROOKLINE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Owner Maria Vasco would not call Uvida Shop in Brookline your typical, chic home goods store.
"It’s not the norm, but that’s exactly what we are pushing for," she said.
The shop on Washington Street bills itself as the first "zero-waste" store in the Boston area, selling products without an ounce of single-use plastic anywhere.
"There’s never going to be any product that’s packaged with plastic packaging, a plastic box that you throw away," Vasco told WBZ NewsRadio Thursday.
Instead, you'll find sustainable toothbrushes, candles, cutlery, and other common home goods, as well as a large wall of household liquids that you can refill with reusable bottles. Any products that are packaged are kept in recyclable cardboard.
1 of 4 Photo: Chaiel Schaffel (WBZ NewsRadio)
2 of 4 Photo: Chaiel Schaffel (WBZ NewsRadio)
3 of 4 Photo: Chaiel Schaffel (WBZ NewsRadio)
4 of 4 Photo: Chaiel Schaffel (WBZ NewsRadio)
Vasco's goal is to help tackle climate change by cutting out plastic, and to convince corporations to do the same.
"Every time you don’t shop from them, you are sending them a message that they should do better, and they can afford to do better," Vasco said. "Now companies like Target are making a better effort and they’re reaching out to us, asking us how they can learn from us, because the customers are putting enough pressure on them."
What's next for Vasco? Tackling the makeup industry.
"The beauty industry is really huge; it’s also very wasteful," she said.
WBZ’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.
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