Simple Bare Necessities promotes ‘no waste’ store, adds cleanups around town

Mikaela Turner began her zero-waste journey in late 2017. The result was opening a store in Sparta called Simple Bare Necessities a few years ago, and her initiative to reduce, reuse and recycle has taken off. So much so that she’s started doing waste cleanups around the area.

Simple Bare Necessities has been in business for two years now, and the physical store has been open for a year and a half. The store sells products in bulk so that people can come to the store with their empty containers and fill them up with bulk products. The store carries over 100 different food products including things such as spices, rice, snacks, beans and many more. They also carry personal care and cleaning products such as shampoo and dish soap.

“When I opened Simple Bare Necessities, it was to make a positive impact on the planet,” Turner said. “I wanted to make sure my business, and everything about it — from our supply chains to the community we are cultivating — was leaving a positive footprint on our planet and excited about doing so. It was actually during one of my walks around my lake, picking up trash, that the idea of opening a ‘zero waste store’ was created in my mind! And I knew that in order to open and maintain a business you have to be profitable, but it was more important to me that we were doing good for the planet.”

Turner said she’s a strong believer in individual action.

“I think we can make a huge positive impact on our planet through small actions, and coming together as one, and that is what I am promoting by hosting trash cleanups,” she said. “It started as just my husband and I, walking around the lake picking up trash, and now we have groups of volunteers joining us each month.”

The group posts all cleanup events on its website and Instagram, and are trying to host two cleanups a month. They post times and locations at the beginning of the month, and Simple Bare Necessities supplies totes for collecting trash and trash picker-uppers. They also post when a cleanup event needs to be rescheduled due to the weather.

Harley McMahon is a huge supporter of the Bare Necessities store.

“I go there weekly to refill my bulk items from home and I help out at community events,” McMahon said. “Most of what I buy is based on the food side: organic olive oil, every kind of bean, dried fruit, and grains. I love making recipes with the store’s products.”

McMahon took part in the cleanup at Hillside Park in Andover, as it was close in proximity to her home.

“At these events it’s so good to connect to people and spark ideas of how we can make the planet a better place,” McMahon said. “I think the park was a great idea because families, including children, came to help, and if other families see children doing it, then maybe they think to themselves, ‘Could my child do this too?’ I am teacher so I believe it starts with the little ones.”

“I try to tell many people about the cleanups hoping they will come or at least be more mindful,” said a tried and true Simple Bare Necessities customer, Caitlin Hall. “And I also participate in them picking up the garbage left around. As a member of the community and an advocate for the earth, I believe these clean ups are not only to clean, but are a way to bring awareness to our trash issue.”

“We have been received well by the community,” Turner said. “The green movement has brought attention to some really concerning facts that are making consumers hyper aware of what they are putting in and on their body. Every day we have customers come in looking to reduce the amount of plastic in their life as more people become aware of the harmful toxins linked to plastics. Plastics have been found in bottled water, tap water, fresh Antarctic snow and even human blood and placentas. Not to be fear mongering, but it’s a terrifying fact. We are living in a plastic pollution crisis and it’s apparent everywhere, so while we offer plastic-free alternatives to everyday items, we also like to be proactive in our efforts to help protect our environment.”

September cleanup dates are Saturday the 17th at Memory Park at 9:30 a.m. and Sunday the 25th at Kittatinny Valley State Park at 10 a.m.

Simple Bare Necessities is located at 17 Main Street in Sparta. For more information, visit sbnzerowaste.com or the store Facebook page at facebook.com/SBNzerowaste.