Earth Conscious Packaging at Washpool Supply Co.

Packaging Washpool Supply Co. products in Earth-friendly ways has always been a priority for us. As we have grown, we’ve continued to find innovative ways to deliver our products to you in perfect condition, while making it easier to recycle or re-use the packaging. Here’s a quick guide to some of the materials your Washpool products come with, where we get them, and ideas on how you can recycle them!

Shipping and Packing

Your Washpool order gets sent to you in Auspost boxes made of Kraft board. To cut down on single use, non-biodegradable plastics, we use kraft paper tape to seal the boxes for shipping. When we are using new packing material, it will be honeycomb kraft paper, which along with the boxes and tape, can be recycled straight into your kerbside bin. Kraft paper or cardboard is also fantastic in the garden, and can be shredded to add to the compost bin, or deconstructed then used between garden beds or under trees, to smother weeds and act as a mulch.

Re-Using Plastic Packing

Sometimes we receive materials or products from our suppliers that are packaged in plastic packing material, like bubble wrap or other non-recyclable packaging. Rather than throwing this in the bin, we use this again to pack some orders. We highly recommend using these materials again; either save them for sending your own parcels, use when moving house, or donate to a local kindy or primary school to be used in craft projects.

Product Packaging

Our soap bars are now packaged in greaseproof paper bags, that we print ourselves in house. We buy these bags from an Australian company, and they are also recyclable in your kerbside recycling program, or just pop them into the compost bin or garden and let nature do the rest! We switched to these bags, as they stand up well to bars containing essential oils, and keep the beautiful fragrances of the products fresh for longer. These are all designed and printed by Emily in house, so we can keep our packaging interesting and appealing, and keep up with all our seasonal and limited release bars. 

Glass and Recyclable PET

We are continually working on new ways to be more sustainable as a business, and focusing on progress not perfection helps us develop products that are packaged to be safe and easy to use, while continuing to work towards our sustainability goals. While we use a lot of glass containers, many of which can be refilled or repurposed for repeated use. In addition, any bottles returned to us are sanitised and re-used. While we love glass, using it in bathroom or kitchen environments isn’t always safe, so some products are packed in Australian made, recyclable PET bottles. More and more products are being offered by our suppliers as recycled PET so we switch over as soon as that option becomes available. As with most PET, just wash it out and recycle along with the other PET in your home. As our range of concentrates and refills continues to grow, you’ll probably find it’s easier to hang on to your Washpool bottles, and simply refill them.

 

Future Planning

Ensuring we are environmentally conscious as well as providing the best possible products to our customers has been a labour of love, and we’re definitely not finished! While we can’t compare ourselves to larger companies who have whole departments dedicated to in-house recycling, and access to custom made products sourced internationally, we focus on doing as much as we can. Buying from companies within Australia, keeping plastics out of circulation, and making recycling easy and accessible, are all ways we continue to grow Washpool Supply Co. as an earth friendly small business. If you have any ideas or suggestions on how we can improve, or just want to tell us what worked for you, please let us know!