Story and Photos by Cashmere Morley
It is a song many of us sing every day: the last swipe of lotion on a dry day leaves a container empty; the final drizzle of olive oil escapes the bottle and sizzles on the pan; the old water kettle stops boiling; it is time to throw it all out and start over with something new.
Something new means there is something old. The Earth is full of those old things; so full that we, as humans, are seeing the damage daily. One can almost never escape a day fully unscathed from the problem that is container waste. While we cannot eliminate the latter overnight, we can control how we approach the problem today. At BYOC Co. in Ann Arbor, owner Emma Hess strives to offer solutions.
BYOC Co., short for Bring Your Own Container Company, was one of the small businesses that blossomed from the harrowing seed of the pandemic. What began as a pop-up shopping experience in August of 2020 turned into a brick-and-mortar store in downtown in April of 2021.
Bring a refillable container downstairs in Liberty Square and discover a resourceful and reusable call to action in the face of waste. Pastel shampoo and conditioner bars stacked like macaroons are lined on a table. Body bars and cut-your-own-soaps fill the space with lavender, eucalyptus, mint, and other inviting aromas. Laundry detergent is scoop your own, pay by the ounce. There are eco-friendly pet toys and reusable oral care solutions. What BYOC Co. has built is a communal everyday living resource unique to Ann Arbor, in which the customer can contribute as well as benefit. It is a symbiotic relationship that has only flourished during the consistent threat of pandemic, generating repeat customers and regulars who Hess knows by name.
How does one begin to shop in a store like BYOC Co.?
“At BYOC Co., we're aiming to reduce single use plastic consumption by allowing folks to refill containers that they already own, with ethically sourced and eco-friendly, plastic-free household cleaning and personal care products,” said Hess. “We're not trying to eradicate single use plastic. There are means for it, and you have to kind of think holistically when you think about zero-waste or low-waste.”
“Containers that they already owned” can mean an empty yogurt quart, an old kombucha bottle, or a worn-out beer growler. Hess has not seen a container she cannot refill, so long as it’s “clean and dry.” Customers can also purchase a container in the store for $2.50 to $10, depending on size. Sometimes, smaller containers are available for free.
“I always say sustainable living has three big barriers to entry, and that’s time, energy, and money,” said Hess. “They all kind of play their own role, but I think a lot of it is really getting yourself out of that convenience-culture mindset; not relying on Amazon for everything, and not just opening a trash bin and throwing anything in there without a thought to it.”
At just 22 years old, and two months shy of graduating with a sociology degree from the University of Michigan, Hess said BYOC Co. “just sort of happened” after Covid uprooted her from her college living situation and transplanted her into her brother’s Royal Oak home.
“Once I moved in with my brother, I began taking the term “low-waste lifestyle” more seriously in my personal life. I didn't really have the restriction of a bunch of roommates, and my brother just said, ‘Go for it. Do whatever you want to do at my house.’ It gave me so much freedom to really experiment with that lifestyle and take it more seriously.”
While Hess notes that the term “zero-waste” is more commonly known and used in regard to utilizing reusable goods, she prefers the term “low-waste lifestyle” because it’s more realistic to her personal journey.
“I think when it comes to your own personal journey, we're all starting at different points, especially if you're living with other people. Even living with my partner there are certain things where he draws the line and says, ‘I'm not personally going to do that,’ so there are just things that I'll go and do on my own or we have to kind of meet in the middle.
“But to me, I think what constitutes a low-waste lifestyle is making the effort—picking and choosing what's going to be maintainable for your life. At the end of the day, if you go all in and it's just too much for your life and your priorities, then maybe that's not the most sustainable option for you, but it could be for someone else. It's definitely a balance. I like to meet people where they're at, and not make them feel like they’re never doing good enough. We just need everyone making an effort.”
BYOC Co. aims to make that effort feel a little less daunting and a lot more accessible, while acknowledging that sustainable living can come with a literal price tag.
“There are products that come at a higher price point. If you're able to make those swaps and keep up with it and have the privilege to do so, I think it's a great thing to get on board with. If you're already shopping at the farmers market and you swing on by to us, even for a couple of items, I consider that a win. We really try to source as locally as possible, especially when we're looking at price points.”
“There's a lot of things that go into the choices we make and what products we sell. And not everyone has access to those things, and not everyone can afford to go to the farmers market every week, for instance, so we approach our products the same way; if you have the ability to do so, we totally encourage you to come in and embrace this concept. If you don’t have the means, or you can't get everything from us, even picking and choosing those few items that you can afford with us every month makes a big difference.”
Hess said that a good way to begin low-waste living is to start with swapping out traditional shampoo bottles with BYOC Co.’s shampoo bars, which eliminate the use for plastic containers and offer an average of 55 washes.
“I had been doing little things here and there at the start of my journey, with shampoo bars and reusable makeup rounds, just to begin that swap from throw-aways to low-waste in a way that felt obtainable. But with a full rein on my brother’s house, we were able to set up a composting system, and we started to garden. We ended up finishing our last roll of paper towels and switched all over to rags, and it was just kind of a step-by-step process. We used something up and we made the swap to something sustainable instead. And now I'm almost three years out, and there are still sustainability goals I'm striving for every day. But every bit counts.”
Hess said taking a step back and looking around all these big box stores was a wake-up call, too.
“We had all these bulk food stores available and that was really great, but I kept thinking... okay, but what about everything else that I don't have access to refill? Some bulk food stores have a shampoo refill, or they might have some castile soap, but they don't have everything. That really got me thinking. How could we solve this problem?”
Beyond offering refillable products, BYOC Co. also offers recycling on everyday items such as cosmetic containers, crayons, razors, oral care waste, and more.
In one word, Hess describes BYOC Co. as “innovative.”
“Just looking at how consumers purchase goods now, I hope BYOC Co. can show the world a better direction to head into,” said Hess. In the future, Hess said she hopes to incorporate other local businesses with the same sustainability goals as BYOC Co. 's into a partnership, in whatever form that may take. As an avid coffee drinker, she brings up sustainable and/or reusable local coffee options as an interesting venture but is open to all possibilities the future may offer her.
Said Hess, “In 100 years, I hope this is how we are all purchasing goods. We're always bringing our containers to the stores and refilling them, over and over. I hope that's what the future looks like.”
Visit BYOC Co. At 255 East Liberty Street # 215, in Ann Arbor, open Wednesday through Sunday. Check out BYOC Co.’s website at byocco.com for store hours.
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