Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

from the Wasteless Pantry Mundaring Team

It has been an amazing year and we are so happy to be seeing the start of a shift to a low waste culture in WA!  We are thankful, as always, for our great community who have supported us the whole way.  It is wonderful to be making connections, feeling that belonging alongside other zero waste and plastic free enthusiasts (no matter your progress), and sharing all the tools we need to make this work.

As well as this, I am particularly mindful of how important it is to have the right people around you when you are trying to do big things (even by small steps).  We are very lucky to be working with Lizzy, Jade, James, Emily, Belinda and Tessa.  They have been the most reliable and supportive team I think I have ever had the privilege to work with.  It almost seems that they go about their days looking for ways to make things easier for others and to think a few steps ahead of what the store needs!

Working with Jeannie on this store has been quite the journey! Developing this community has far exceeded any expectations or visions we originally had of what this could be.  We are truly very lucky!

Sentimentality aside, there are a few things you might want to know …

• Opening hours: Aside from the public holidays we are open as per usual! That means we will be open Sun Dec 24th 11 am to 5 pm, closed 25th & 26th, open Wed 27th/Thurs 28th/Fri 29th 9 am to 5:30 pm, open Sat 30th 9 am to 5 pm, open Sun 31st 11 am to 5 pm, closed Jan 1st then open again Tues 2nd 9 am to 5:30 pm
• We are stocking zero waste hampers for those loved ones that want a gift.  There are big ones and little ones, ones for women, ones for men, ones for coffee lovers, and zero waste starter kits!
• Aluminium and glass pump bottles are in stock and we now have a trigger spray attachment that fits these bottles too
• Masa flour for tortilla making is now available
• There are a bunch of different zero waste DIY dairy-free milk recipes on the recipe wall and we stock nut milk bags made from 100% hemp
• We have gift jars ready to go for last minute, “Oh no, I forgot [insert relative’s name] was coming too!” moments
• Gluten-free banana bread mix has been popular and we are getting great feedback about its versatility for a variety of cakes and slices.

Coming soon:

• Who know’s what will happen in 2018 but we do have Pizza & Focaccia Bread Mix coming 🙂

Photo credits

Photo by Precision Focus

It’s so good to be chatting with you again!

It has been a little while between updates as we have been working hard to finally be able to say, “Yes, we are franchising” and, “Yes, there may well be a new Wasteless Pantry store coming to your neighbourhood in 2018!”  

The difficulty with running a store like ours is that we are so picky about why we do things, how we do things and who we do them with.  So, this has not been us dragging our feet, but rather making sure that moving forward you can trust that our standards have not changed and we will always be about community and waste first.  We really appreciate all your support and never want to take it for granted!

What’s been happening?

• We started stocking some new useful reusables such as Onya bread bags, Vegan Wraps, Double Round Bento Tiffins (1400ml), large stainless steel To-Go Containers (1.4L capacity), Bento Compartment boxes with utensils (we’ve ordered more stock), and mini stainless steel containers (perfect for little snacks) 
• We’ve added Yoshiki mix, raw Australian peanuts, green glace cherries (for your Christmas cake making), protein powder made from peas, vanilla beans and locally made dark choc and toasted coconut vegan protein granola (great as a snack too!)
• Jeannie attended the Beyond Plastic Pollution Conference in Sydney and learnt all sorts of interesting info about waste and how different groups are trying to address it (see the events page if you want to come hear her summary)
• Jeannie also ran our first Zero Waste Shopping Tour (hosted by EMRC) to give hands-on experience for those wanting to try it out for the first time (let us know if you missed it and would like us to do it again in the new year)
• Since pretty much everyone uses toilet paper, we thought that stocking the Christmas wrapped version of Who Gives A Cr@p would be an idea so that you aren’t also having to buy single-use wrapping paper
• We’re trying out Dark Roasted coffee beans from Skybury since so many of you love a strong flavoured coffee and we love locally grown beans! (House fans – House is a blend of dark and medium so we can mix some up if you are in need, don’t fret!)
• We really are trying to be helpful with your festive preparations, we now stock food grade lavender and rose petals for making your gifts, beauty products and speciality tea blends
• For those that are looking for a plastic-free sunscreen option and trying their hand at DIY – we have zinc oxide powder available loose plus a recipe on the board for you to try out (let us know if you tweak it and how it turns out)
• Since we have so many new things coming in, we have had to discontinue other less popular items.  If you see a discounted tag, that’s why (hint: this is the only time we would suggest that you stock up if you use these products regularly)

Coming soon:

• Gluten Free Banana Bread Mix should be in stock shortly to help with making your Christmas Fruit Cakes
• Christmas gift jars and hampers (zero waste starter kit, wasteless women’s, wasteless men’s, wasteless coffee and wasteless travel) will be available shortly
• Masa Flour (for tortilla making) and Doughnut Mix!
• Plus glace apricots and choc jaffas will make their seasonal return
• Pop in during December for tastings – this week is old-fashioned Christmas cake and next week is something with chocolate!

Feature image credit:

Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash