Hey! I am Brandi. I have lived in Lafayette on & off since 1998. I am a veterinary clinic manager by day, and community volunteer in my spare time. I grew up in towns with milk men who delivered in glass bottles, we repaired things when they were broken, and we stored left overs and sewing kits in repurposed containers. The older I got, the more that lifestyle slipped away.
As a working mom, life quickly became an endless stream of single serving yogurt containers and disposable diapers. All these items meant to make life “easier” just turned into neverending trips to the garbage bins. I began to substitute these single use items for reusables, I made my own baby food, and became more conscious of the items we were bringing into the house.
These things were not easy to find 10 years ago, and while a lot of the big box stores are catching on to the consumer’s demand for less packaging waste, it is still a struggle to find low waste products.
Want a compostable bamboo toothbrush?
Ok, but it comes plastic wrapped.
Ready to start carrying around a reusable straw?
You can buy those EVERYWHERE now!... in plastic wrappers.
Shampoo?
Laundry soap?
Feminine products?
Dental floss?
Plastic. Plastic. Plastic. Plastic!
Nicole & I met at PTC function at our kids’ school and we became fast friends, despite my penchant for terrible puns. Our day dreams of Lafayette having a zero waste shopping option eventually turned into day dreams about running a zero waste store. Starting out in a small rented space at the old Sugarwolf Outdoor Exchange was the opportunity we needed to make Sans Paquet a reality. We carry carefully curated items to make living low waste easier for Acadiana.