There’s a collection of glass jars and bottles you’ve likely noticed at the entryway of Fiesta Farms. It’s part of Circulr, a local business that simplifies reuse.
Grocery stores like ours are full of plastic packaging that is harmful to people, animals, and the planet. Like you, we want to keep packaging out of landfills.
That’s why we were an early adopter and continue to be huge fans Circlur, a business that helps customers join the reuse movement.
If you made a resolution to reduce your waste less in 2025, Fiesta Farms and Circulr can help you get started.
An Old Model Made New
Circulr brought back a simple concept: reusable packaging. Think back to the days of milk deliveries in glass bottles. When you were done, you’d leave the bottles out, and they’d be picked up, cleaned, and reused. It was an elegant, waste-free system that just made sense. According to Circulr, reuse can work at scale, but industry and government must get on board.
Brands, including Filsingers Organic Foods, Alchemy Pickle Company, Saponetti, and Kitten and Bear, all participate in Circulr’s reuse program. After you finish with a jar of their product, Circulr collects their packaging and manages shipping, washing, and returning the jars.
By streamlining the process, Circulr is providing reuse infrastructure that demonstrates how reuse can work at scale.
Making it Simple
Even when the infrastructure is in place, reuse can still seem complicated and cumbersome for customers. I’ll admit, as much as I’ve wanted to participate in Saponetti’s reuse program, I was unsure about how to participate when I saw it on Fiesta’s shelves. In fact, that’s what inspired me to reach out to Circulr.
So, let me help you understand how it works when you buy a jar of Saponetti laundry detergent:
- Buy the detergent. A $1 deposit is included in the price.
- Finish the detergent, and return it to the Circulr drop off at the entrance to Fiesta (or other participating locations)
- Use the Circulr app to log the item you’re returning and where you’re depositing it. Take a photo and upload it.
- Wham! Bam! Your $1 deposit is circulated back into your Circulr account. Collect deposits and get an e-transfer anytime.
Big Shifts
While independent grocers and smaller brands are leading the way in championing reuse, it’ll take collective action to motivate bigger companies and governments to drive the systemic change we need.
The good news is there’s a precedent we can follow.
In Ontario, the big beer brands collaborated with the Ontario government to create a standardized beer bottle. This simple idea made it easy to collect, clean, and reuse the bottles. The Beer Store reduces waste by refilling beer bottles up to 18 times. They charge and refund a deposit on all beer bottles sold – keeping bottles out of city recycling systems. They collect more than 99% of refillable bottles they sell each year!
Circulr believes that a shift in customer behaviour needs to be coupled with a push for better legislation that bans plastic packaging, holds manufacturers accountable for the waste they produce and creates infrastructure for reusable packaging.
As we move into the new year, there’s no better time to commit to reducing plastic waste. Whether it’s a resolution to use more reusable products or advocating for better policies.
Circulr is a reminder that sometimes the best solutions are the ones that have been there all along. In 2025, let’s work together to make plastic-free living less of a challenge and more of a reality.
Learn More About Plastics:
Here are some resources to help you learn more about plastics and how to get involved
Watch a Movie
- Plastic People is a documentary on the impact of plastic on human health and what can be done about it.
- This Film is Garbage, a documentary on our relationship to household waste.
- Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy is a Netflix documentary on hidden tactics and covert strategies that reinforce the buying cycle.
Read a Book
- Cradle to Cradle: William McDonough’s early book looks to nature for models for how we can create regenerative products.
Listen to a Podcast
- Plastisphere: A podcast on plastic pollution in the environment.