The Simple Concept Shop

The Ultimate Kitchen Starter Box is a great gift for someone looking to start some eco-friendly habits. Starting with these swaps in the kitchen are easy and the products included are some of our best sellers. The average kitchen has many disposable elements. From disposable cloths to plastic scrubbers to dishwashing liquid bottles, keeping the kitchen clean can be quite wasteful. This box solves those issues. Dishwashing blocks might seem a little strange and intimidating b...ut the @makenicecompany blocks are a fantastic zero waste alternative to bottles of dish soap. Each block replaces 3 bottles! To use it you rub a cloth or dishwashing brush on the block to create suds and then use to wash your dishes. You'll also get a 100% recycled plastic soap holder for your dishwashing block, a dish brush, a @ten_and_co Swedish sponge cloth and 2 types of pot scrubbers. One is a bamboo scraper to scrape caked-on food off pots and cookie sheets. The other is a heavy duty scrub brush made from wood and plant fibres. Once no longer usable it can be composted or put in the green bin. #ecofriendlyproducts #ecofriendlygifts #holidayshopping #holidaygifts #sustainablegifts #ecofriendlyliving #bowmanvilleontario #pickeringontario #oshawaontario

When you are always on the go it can be hard to stay low waste. Grabbing a takeout snack usually means disposable packaging or plastic cutlery. Reusable snack bags from @colibricanada are a great travel solution to bring snacks for the kids (or for you) when you are out and about. Made of a cotton outer shell and 100% polyester with polyurethane membrane liner, they are easy to clean and hold sandwiches, bagels, vegetables - anything really. Another thing I like to have in ...the car is this zero waste travel kit which includes a bamboo fork, knife, spoon, straw and straw cleaning brush. It all comes in a travel bag - perfect for leaving in the car when the hanger sets in and you need to grab a bite on the go. Ask for no cutlery and use this instead. (Don't want to splurge on a set? That's okay, simply pack a fork and spoon from home, wrap it in a cloth napkin... And you can use one of those colibri snack bags to hold the dirty cultery until home when you can wash it all) Other items I like to keep in the car for being on the go are reusable napkins, a coffee mug and reusable bags. What are your on the go items that you don't leave home without? #reusablebags #ecofriendlyproducts #refillrevolution #ecofriendlyliving #sustainableliving #bowmanvilleontario #oshawaontario

GIVEAWAY This coming Saturday, I'll be at the @marketsbydreamday location for the day from 10-4pm. We encourage you to BYOC (bring your own container) to be refilled! Email us at [email protected] to let us know you plan on coming and which products you'd like to refill (I want to ensure I have them in stock for you ). On top of that... We will be offering boxes and bags to gift wrap any items you wish, on the spot :) ... Minimum of 3 items for a box and 2... items for a bag with tissue. We will be bringing our new @keepwellkept safety razors, blade banks, kits and more!!! These are not going to be on regular display in the shop, only online and at special events like this one!! We are having a giveaway! To enter (running on Instagram only): Follow @the_simple_concept Like this photo Tag a friend below to let them know about this event! Bonus entry: Add it to your stories! And tag @the_simple_concept. For every friend tagged below you will be entered into our giveaway for a free @the.bare.home 500ml Dish Soap, @ten_and_co Sponge Cloth and Wooden Dish Brush ($32 Value)! . . . This giveaway is not associated or endorsed with/by instagram in any way. You must be over the age of 18, and be able to pick up the prize from the @marketsbydreamday Bowmanville location in order to qualify. Giveaway closes Saturday November 21st at 9:00am. See more

New extended hours!!

Weekly Update and Saturday Pop-up Refillery - https://mailchi.mp/6cca4316ff91/tomorrow-is-our-pop-up

Did you know that your dishwasher and washing machine should be cleaned about once a month to keep it running smoothly and working efficiently? These cleaning tabs by @natureinspired3 help to clean all the gunk out, remove bacteria and are made right here in Oshawa. We carry these in special jar refills - you get 16 tabs in a jar, that can also be returned to be refilled. They are easy to use. For your washing machine you put 2 tabs in the drum and add 1/4 cup of white vineg...ar to the detergent compartment. Set on the clean cycle (or run a regular cycle if you don't have a clean cycle) and let them work their magic. For your dishwasher, make sure any food particles are gone. Put 2 tabs on the top shelf and but a bowl filled with 1 cup of white vinegar. Run through the cycle with NO heat dry on. That's it! Have you tried something like this before? #ecofriendlycleaning #ecofriendlyproducts #cleanmachine #cleaninghacks #bowmanvilleontario #oshawaontario #refillrevolution #pickeringontario

Holiday wrapping with fabric is a great way to keep gifts and offers a reusable solution to wrapping paper. Here are a few ideas for holiday wrapping: - Scarves - using a scarf as part of your gift also makes great wrapping. Look up Furoshiki wrapping to learn the technique that requires nothing but the fabric to wrap it up. - Fabric Bags - reusable fabric bags are a great option. If you are crafty, you could sew your own or check out Toronto based @lowwaste.living who make...s reusable gift bags out of recycled fabrics. They have wine bags, stocking stuffer sizes and larger gift bags in awesome holiday patterns - Tea Towels - add a tea towel to your gift and use it to wrap. We saw this example at a winery and loved how they wrapped up the wine bottle. This would work well with the @ten_and_co tea towels we have in stock and they come in some beautiful designs just like their sponge cloths Have you ever wrapped a gift with fabric? Have you tried something else other than what's mentioned above? Let us know in the comments below #ecofriendlygifts #holidaygifts #wrappingideas #furoshiki #ecofriendlyliving #oshawaontario #bowmanvilleontario

I've talked a lot about holiday giving this week but one thing I haven't covered are experiences. These are a fantastic gift idea because they typically don't come with any waste and can involve spending time with loved ones. Here are some of my favourite experience gift ideas: Virtual workshops or classes - virtual experiences are going to be big this year. You can find a virtual workshop for almost any hobby - yoga, flower arranging, cooking, painting. This is a great ex...perience you could gift to someone and also do with them while we are more isolated Local Brewery Tour - check with the brewery to see if they are running right now but may have private tours or can gift a voucher that can be used when things open up again Skiing or Tubing at @skilakeridge - winter activities for the whole family. Treetop eco-adventure park - this would be a gift you could use in the spring but it takes place outdoors so can be more socially distant and is a ton of fun! Cheese and wine night- Create a wine and cheese night for your partner or friends. This can be done virtually or in person. Learn a few pairings and print out tasting cards to judge your favourite wines. What are some experience gifts you've given in the past? #christmas2020 #holidaygiftguide #experiencegifts #sustainablegiving #oshawaontario #bowmanvilleontario #giveexperiences

The tree debate - which is more eco-friendly? A real tree or a fake one? There are some conflicting opinions on this one but here's what I know. Artificial trees are often made of PVCs and are often imported from China where PVCs are often made from coal. Not great for your health or the environment. And while artificial trees can last many years, once they are in the landfill they essentially never break down. Shipping trees all around the world also cause harm to the envir...onment. Real trees on the other hand are often grown on tree farms where the land isn't all that suitable for food crops. The trees grow for about 10-15 years before being cut down, emitting oxygen that whole time and provide habitat for wildlife. While cutting down trees is not typically good for the planet, these trees were planted to be cut down. They can also be mulched down afterwards and put back into the soil to add nutrients. One important point is to ensure you are getting a local tree as opposed to a tree shipped from far away. So while artificial trees do last a long time, I'd still rather not leave the trace of plastic and chemicals at the end. An even better alternative is getting a live tree that can be put outside after Christmas each year. It can then grow with you. But if you currently have a great artificial tree, don't get rid of it! Take good care of it and use it until the end of its life. Do you like real or artificial? If real, do you cut it down yourself? #ohchristmastree #realchristmastree #rockinaroundthechristmastree #christmastreefarm #christmastime #oshawaontario #bowmanvilleontario #christmasishere