Plastic-Free for the Planet

You may wonder, what is a ditty bag? Since the 1700s, sailors have used canvas ditty bags made from used sails to store personal items and tools. This example of admirable resourcefulness served as the namesake for The Ditty Bag Zero-Waste Market and Café in Mystic, Connecticut.

“The Ditty Bag Zero-Waste Market and Café is a little store with a big mission,” states Jason Hine, the owner and founder. “Our mission is to help our community reduce its plastic use and lower its carbon footprint.” For any new product or activity, Jason thoughtfully determines if it helps with the mission. This values-based decision making helps the small business stay aligned with its north star: conserving the environment.

This desire to care for the environment started at a young age for Jason. Jason enjoyed spending time outside as a child and reading National Geographic. “I always looked forward to my monthly magazine. I loved the maps and the stories and the people. I wanted to travel around the world.” One day, a story shook Jason to the core. “The lead story shared half of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef was dead. It hit me. My interest in the zero-waste movement was born out of this shock and I can trace it back to this one article.”

For the next handful of years, Jason spent time sailing on the Amistad replica schooner. He worked as a curriculum developer, educator, and sailor for the non-profit organization Discovering Amistad which provides educational programs on the story of the Amistad and topics such as freedom, power, justice, and equality. Being out on the water further opened Jason’s eyes to all the plastic that pollutes our oceans. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, only around 9% of plastic is recycled. Studies have found that a product as seemingly simple as a plastic cup could take hundreds of years to decompose. These estimates are based on exposing plastic to the elements, and microorganisms, and then extrapolating the decomposition data. The microplastics that arise during the decomposition process are now in our air, land, and water. “We’ve reached a place where we can’t handle the amount of pollution,” Jason states.

In 2021, The Ditty Bag Zero-Waste Market and Café opened its doors. Jason is still thankful for his small business mentor, Frank LaMonaca, from the local Southeastern Connecticut Chapter of SCORE. SCORE is a nationwide non-profit comprised of volunteers who help small businesses succeed. “I tell people without exaggeration that without SCORE, I would not be open. They provided so much help, and all free, too.”

A Southeastern Connecticut Enterprise Region (SeCTer) Rise Grant awarded just before the holidays in 2023 gave a boost to Jason’s small business. It provided funding for advertising, inventory, new display units, and helped hire two employees. This opened up new avenues and helped The Ditty Bag Zero-Waste Market expand. For Jason, the benefits of a zero-waste lifestyle are clear: “It’s healthy for individual health and for the community, as well. It’s easier to reduce the amount of pollution in any community and the world if lots of people are doing it. It feels better to move towards zero-waste. It makes communities feel good about where they live, if as a community, they are working to reduce the amount of plastics going out in the world.”

Research shows that plastic can interfere with the human endocrine system which produces and regulates hormones. Plastic can also impact fertility and lead to cancer. These impacts are not trivial. Numerous studies have estimated that the average person ingests up to 5 grams of plastic per week. Any effort to reduce the use of plastics is a step in the right direction.

PURPOSE-FILLED AND PLASTIC-FREE PRODUCTS

One way to limit exposure to plastic is to avoid it as much as you can in the products you buy. The Ditty Bag Zero-Waste Market and Café is filled with plastic-free products for every room in your home. For the kitchen, there are plenty of reusable containers perfect for lunches or meal prep, Swedish dishcloths which provide an eco-friendly alternative to a sponge, 100% cotton flannel “UNpaper” towels, tea infusers, beeswax wraps that serve as an alternative to plastic wrap, mesh produce bags, and wooden cutting boards, among other items.

For the bathroom, there are eco-friendly cleaning products, a variety of handmade soaps plus shampoo and conditioner bars that reduce the need for bulky containers filled with liquid. There are also plasticfree shave sets which serve as an alternative to disposable plastic razorblades. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, up to two billion disposable razors are thrown away each year.

One of Jason’s favorite products are laundry sheets. They are a very good way to eliminate plastic from the laundry room. There is no plastic at all in the product. The laundry sheets are made from plants and come in a recyclable cardboard box. There are also organic cotton bags and backpacks, handcrafted wooden toys, and craft supplies. The shop has a great array of products made by local artists and craftsmen.

Some of the highlights at The Ditty Bag Zero-Waste Market and Café are all the foods that can be purchased in bulk. Customers can bring their own containers or purchase a container to fill with foods such as grains, pastas, beans, nuts, dried fruits, herbs, teas, seasonings, and other bulk goods. “People can fill their own glass jars and literally make it zero-waste. These foods last a long time. Buying in bulk doesn’t need to mean ‘a lot,’ it can mean ‘a little.’ If you are eating rice for dinner, you can get a cup of rice. I find it can lead to experimenting. If you don’t want to buy a pound of chia seeds, just try a tiny bit,” Jason explains.

The shop and its purpose-filled products are a refreshing change from the consumption-focused world we live in. This can lead to cost-savings and waste reduction overall. The products are all wellmade, so once you make a purchase, the item will likely last a while.

COMMUNITY-BUILDING AT THE CAFÉ AND BEYOND

The Ditty Bag Zero-Waste Market and Café is a powerful example of a third place – a place separate from one’s home or work – that can be used to build community. The café was part of the plan from the beginning. “I wanted the café and store to be a place where people who care about the planet could come together,” Jason shares. “Coffee and tea are always a part of these meetings. It creates a nice environment where people can sit comfortably, relax, and meet likeminded people.” All the coffee is Fairtrade Certified and Rainforest Alliance Certified.

Jason brings in local elected offcials to meet with the community and discuss important environment-related issues. The Citizens Climate Lobby has held meetings in the space. Some of the Climate Omnibus Bill was written in the café. The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, League of Women Voters, Mystic River Watershed Association, and Stonington High School Sustainability Club have all used the café as a meeting place. Jason sponsors the Stonington High School Sustainability Club, and the students are working with the new facilities director to try to go solar.

Environmental advocacy has taken place beyond the shop’s walls, too. In 2023, The Ditty Bag Zero-Waste Market and Café had its first annual Earth Day Expo at the Groton Public Library. The event brings together everyday people, statewide elected offcials, and organizations from around Connecticut that are passionate about the environment. In the first year, there were 50 vendors, and it has been steadily growing. In 2024, WSHU Radio attended and gathered soundbites from the event.

This summer, The Ditty Bag Zero-Waste Market and Café will have workshops that people can attend to learn about environmentrelated activities. One of the first will be about composting. Composting supplies are available to purchase at the store. People who want to see how composting is done can learn all about it.

For the future, Jason is committed to seeing the business grow sustainably. The store is a warm and inviting place and provides people with all the things they could need to get started living a zero-waste lifestyle. Jason’s aim is to make this easy for everyone, so they don’t even have to think about it. He wants having a zero-waste lifestyle become second nature through all the great products, workshops, and community available at his local, small business right in downtown Mystic.

The Ditty Bag Zero-Waste Market and Café is filled with purpose- filled products and a close-knit community inspired to make the planet a plastic-free place. Whether you would like to shop for ecofriendly items, learn a new skill, or meet with like-minded individuals at the café, this is the place for you.

• The Ditty Bag Zero-Waste Market and Café is located at 7 Roosevelt Ave, Unit 3 in Mystic, www.thedittybag.com