Detox From Your Disposables: This Company Can Help Anyone Go Zero Waste

For those that want to go zero waste but don't know where to start LOWTOXBOX is a godsend. 

It offers seven different one off boxes filled with exactly the right kind of plastic free reusable staples - from lunch boxes and sporks for those that lunch or plastic free shaving and grooming kits for guys.

We lift the lid on the boxes and find out how LOWTOXBOX got started and why it wants to help you live a sustainable life.

Lucy McGoogan ended up taking her new husband on a year long global adventure after embracing daily meditation.

Her offgrid, low maintenance experience while she was travelling inspired her to think again about what she was consuming when she got home.

Tracking down plastic free and zero waste alternatives made her to want to help others in that search.

Tell us a bit about how you started LOWTOXBOX® after you'd been travelling

Lucy McGoogan: Arriving back in the UK, I was determined to bring my newfound appreciation home and started looking at our lifestyle choices. After suffering with a skin complaint and being prescribed different medications, none of which helped (if anything they made it worse), I found myself looking into natural alternatives and sure enough after only a few days it started to clear up.

I decided to explore other areas of our lives where we could make natural product swaps and compiled a database of natural products to try, from skincare to cleaning products. After our friends and family took an interest, I felt there was a definite need for an easier way for people to discover how to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. This is how the idea for LOWTOXBOX® was born!

How has the LOWTOXBOX® business evolved?

LM: I ran a subscription service for six months along with the online LowToxShop. I realised that the one-off gift box far outweighed the subscriptions and I wanted to further reduce the amount of packaging I used, so I took the decision to focus on our Ethical Plastic-free Gift Box range and plastic-free online shop.

The response has been overwhelming. With a growing public and political consensus against plastic pollution, this has been the perfect time to grow the range of plastic-free items in the LowToxShop.

Which box is your biggest seller?

LM: Our top seller is still the LOWTOXBOX® Zero-Waste Starter Kit. It has everything needed to start your journey to living a zero waste lifestyle.

What would be the best box to give as a gift?

LM: This is a hard one to answer as all our boxes are great gifts! It really depends on the occasion and who the gift is for. They’re great for birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, baby showers, wedding presents and of course as a gift to yourself.

How do you mitigate your carbon emissions? Can you tell us about your tree planting programme?

LM: Feeling that affinity with the earth that I had found on our travels, I wanted to make everything about LOWTOXBOX® as kind to the environment as possible. As a result, every box is hand stamped with eco-friendly vegetable-based inks.

A tree is planted for every LOWTOXBOX® purchased which more than offsets the LOWTOXBOX® carbon footprint and delivery of each box. This helps to change the lives of people in developing countries by planting trees around the world, helping both the local communities and the world’s environment. Our LowToxTrees mission is to plant 25,000 trees by 2028.

Have you found that there are a lot more zero waste brands out there than there used to be?

LM: Yes, it makes me so happy to see the ethical/organic/zero waste movement gaining momentum. It really does feel like 2018 is the year for change.

How do you find the products to go in the boxes?

LM: I spend hours researching and contacting brands. I test every individual product before stocking them in the LowTox-Shop. Each themed LOWTOXBOX® has been carefully curated so that the products complement each other and will work well as a gift.

What do you think the biggest misconception is around trying to go zero waste?

LM: The term ‘zero waste' can be overwhelming. Once you realise that going zero waste is a process it becomes less overwhelming. Making one small change really can make a big difference. I started my journey by purchasing a reusable water bottle.

How has starting LOWTOXBOX® changed how you live at home?

LM: It’s been an exciting journey for me. Discovering different brands and looking at alternative, more sustainable ways to live has been so much fun. It’s a great way to share how we live this lifestyle across our social media platforms and with family and friends when they come to visit us.

Zero Waste Beginner's Guide: 21 Easy Ways To Change At Home

What’s the hardest thing you find to reduce in terms of waste?

LM: Trying to live a healthy, organic, zero waste lifestyle can be tricky when it comes to food shopping. As most fruit and vegetables are packed in plastic in the supermarket we visit our local farm shop and use our mesh produce bags. However there are times we run out of items throughout the week which can be challenging to then stay clear of plastic.

The LOWTOXBOX® Zero-Waste Starter Kit is a great way to get you started.

What does success look like to you?

LM: The reason I started LOWTOXBOX® remains at the core of everything I do - to help educate and inspire people to live a greener, more sustainable lifestyle. The dream would be for LOWTOXBOX® to become the go-to online shop to purchase plastic-free everyday items and gifts for all occasions.

For more information on LOWTOXBOX click here.