The Community Paper

Local refilleries urge community to stay sustainable during the holidays


woman displays wrapping papers

Alyssa Bolaños of Oh Eco stands with eco-friendly wrapping paper. She said the shop has recently started selling the entirely plant-based product for the holidays. (CHARLOTTE SKIPPER)

As the holiday season approaches, so does the panic to overbuy toys and tchotchkes for every family member. With this comes even more stress to the landfill. To combat environmental impact while still keeping the holiday spirit, Alyssa Bolaños of Oh Eco and Ingrid Hames of Zero Orlando are working to provide more sustainable options.

“It’s all about living a little bit better for ourselves and for the planet. At the end of the day, we all have to coexist in harmony, and this is our home,” Bolaños said. “Living a little more sustainable just means making conscious decisions to use products that don’t create more of an impact on this planet. They don’t create more waste at the end of the day.”

Oh Eco is a family-owned business that provides Orlando with plastic-free options of household items where patrons can refill on soaps and detergents to prevent plastic containers from being purchased. Bolaños said as the holiday season approaches, it may be overwhelming to find the right gifts while still keeping conscious of toxins or plastic. As a starting point, she said the best thing to do is purchase familiar favorites with better ingredients, such as candles or bath products.

These candles, sold at Oh Eco, are made with soy wax. Bolaños said candles made without toxic ingredients can be a good start to being more sustainable. (CHARLOTTE SKIPPER)

As the mother of two young children, Bolaños said the urge to purchase every bright-colored toy on the shelves can be challenging. However, she said kids thrive on more sustainably sourced toys made of bamboo or wood. Not only are they more durable, but children find new ways to play with each item.

“Kids don’t need the noises and the lights, and I’m sure many parents can agree with me on that once you hear it. A lot of the toys I purchase are open-ended play, which makes them use their imagination and helps with their development,” Bolaños said. “A lot of plastic toys don’t do that. I think any parent who wants their child to do well and develop would understand the value of the toys we have here.”

In addition to each gift is the wrapping that comes with it. Ingrid Hames, owner of Zero Orlando, not only thrifts items for customers to purchase but also invites customers to bring in old gift bags to encourage reuse. Hames said she does this because being sustainable isn’t always about cutting out plastic completely but instead about giving multiple uses to the items already available.

“A lot of the wastefulness is in wrapping. There’s so much wrapping paper that’s shiny and sparkly and cute, but none of it is recyclable,” Hames said. “So you’re just buying that to wrap a gift that’s going to be torn open in a couple of days and thrown in the trash and go into the landfill.”

Hames said although gifts are a tradition during this time of year, being sustainable means buying only what you need.

“The most important thing is to not just gift for the sake of gifting,” Hames said. “If everyone tries to do a little bit better, it’s going to make a big difference.”

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