A new zero-waste shop and refillery has opened in Sparta. Simple Bare Necessities is a store where customers can bring in their containers and fill up on a variety of products without having any packaging to send to the landfills. It also saves money. Owner Mikaela Molnar explains, “When you refill your containers, you’re not only saving plastic and packaging from entering the waste stream; you are also saving money because you are only paying for the product itself.”

With 18 million pounds of plastic that gets dropped in the ocean each year, this way of shopping truly is a revolution, a fight back against the plastic pollution crisis.

“We source as much as we can from local farmers and makers. We only bring in organic foods, source from companies with eco-conscious values alike, and we build relationships with our vendors to work in a closed loop business model where the vendors take back the bulk packaging that they ship the products in to be sanitized, refilled and sent back to us,” states Molnar. “This system diverts so much unnecessary waste from behind the scenes from entering the landfill.” 

Simple Bare Necessities offers a wide variety of refillable from its bulk sections—anything from clean-ingredient personal care products, plant-based cleaning products and over 100 different organic foods varying from rice, beans, local handmade pastas, to granolas, brownie mix and chocolate chips. The shop also features an assortment of spices, teas, coffee, oils, vinegars, sauces, and sweeteners.

Simple Bare Necessities is a mission-based business aimed to pave the way for the refill revolution and fight back against the pollution crisis. Bring your favorite containers and stop by today.

Location: 17 Main St., Lower Level, Sparta. (Behind Astrology Boutique.) For information, call 973-362-6960 or email [email protected]. SBNZeroWaste.com. See ad, page 17.