Recycle and Repurpose Our Packaging

One aspect of this business that was important for me was providing quality products within eco-friendly packaging. If you have been around from the beginning of Jasmine Moon, you know I had started off with recyclable metal tins. It was not until earlier this year that I was able to move onto mostly glass containers. It was an exciting switch for me. My vision was always to keep this brand as low waste as possible, and glass packaging was one step closer to it. This way you get a reusable container that can easily be repurposed within the home. Now if you happen to be in a state that accepts glass recycling, you could recycle the containers. (Unfortunately, in Mississippi, not many recycling programs take glass because they have to be hauled out of state.) I would encourage to always repurpose first, either by utilizing them yourself, or giving them to someone or an organization that will (try your local second-hand shop or local herbalist!).

Information about waste and recycling in the United States from Recycle Across America :

• According to a recent Yale University/EPA study, the U.S. recycles less than 22% of its discarded materials.
• The U.S. recycling levels have not improved in 20 years despite the billions of dollars spent on recycling competitions, symposiums, awareness campaigns and new sorting technologies.
• Despite only representing 5% of the world population, the U.S. generates more waste than any other country in the world. (World Watch Institute)
• In less than 15 years, worldwide waste is expected to double. (World Watch Institute)

• Glass can be recycled and re-manufactured an infinite amount of times and never wear out.
• Making glass from recycled material cuts related water pollution by 50%.
• Recycling just one glass jar saves enough electricity to light an 11 watt CFL bulb for 20 hours.
• More than 28 billion glass bottles and jars end up in landfills every year -- that is the equivalent of filling up two Empire State Buildings every three weeks.

Cleaning and Sanitizing Your Containers:

Let us start off with the first step, which would be removing the label. Thankfully, all the labels I have chosen come off quite easily! All that needs to be done is rinse the container of all remnants, and then put to soak in hot soapy water for 2 hours. That’s it! The label should be able to peel off from there. At the most, you may need to use a sponge to finish off the last bits of label.

Now to properly clean and sanitize the jars. You will want to soak the jars one more time in hot, soapy water. From here it really depends on the kitchen gadgets you have at your disposal. If you have a dishwasher, you may choose to utilize its various settings, including "sanitize". If not, you may want to follow sterilizing methods used for canning jars. Which includes placing the jars in a hot water bath in a deep pot (Please make sure to get an appropriate rack set for this! The glass jars will break if they touch the pot itself.). Bring the water to a boil and allow jars to stay within the pot for 15 minutes. Transfer the jars to another rack or mat to cool. (Tongs will be your friends here! The jars will be scalding hot. )

Now for some ideas on how to repurpose your packaging!