Kailua Shop Offers a Healthy Home Experience
Protea Zero Waste highlights ways to reduce consumer waste and support local brands.
A relaxing, botanical fragrance drifts through the air as you open the door at Protea Zero Waste in Kailua. The room is filled with pretty soaps, glass jars and a colorful rainbow of flowing, floral, thrifted fashion.
Over the past few years, zero-waste stores have been popping up throughout Hawaii and the mainland as consumers become more concerned with the number of plastics they have in their living spaces.
Lori Mallini, owner of Protea Zero Waste, attended the environmental studies program at Hawaii Pacific University. She volunteered for beach clean-ups and was shocked by the amount of plastics on the beach washing in from the ocean.
In addition to its selection of refillable goods, Protea Zero Waste carries other products for self-care and well-being.
After college, she received an internship with the Sierra Club. During her time with the eco-advocacy organization, she helped to implement environmental policy changes. She worked on the 2021 Honolulu County ban on plastic utensils, straws and polystyrene utilized in cups and take-away containers.
In 2017, Mallini began to mull over the idea of starting a zero-waste store. When she went to toss out her oversized, thick, plastic detergent bottle one day, she realized the bottle was destined to live at the dump for the next 500 years.
Mallini launched Protea Zero Waste in 2020. The concept of a zero-waste store is simple: Customers bring in their own jars or bottles, use one provided by donations or buy one available in the store. They weigh the empty container, fill it with new product, and pay for the added weight. Instead of constantly purchasing individually packaged soaps, lotions, beauty products and household goods, customers can return for refills with their reusable containers.
“So far, we’ve saved around 30,000 bottles from the landfill in the last four years,” says Mallini.
Protea Zero Waste carries a curated selection of local, high-quality, personal care and cleaning products. The shelves are stocked with Puna Noni, a beloved local brand created in Kailua, and Oahu Organics, which specializes in farm-to-bottle skincare. In-house, Mallini creates its own signature facial oil called Luminous.
Shopping with refillable bottles instead of constantly purchasing products in disposable packaging is a great way to encourage sustainable living.
“One of my favorite things about the store is [that] we have 70% local products and 99% woman-owned [brands]. Those are two things I’m very proud of,” says Mallini.
A clean home section consists of dish soap, laundry concentrate, all-purpose cleaners and other reusable products developed to cut down on plastics and chemicals in household use.
Products at Protea Zero Waste are relatively affordable — prices are comparable to larger chain stores in Kailua. Shopping at Protea Zero Waste supports small local businesses, farms, community and the environment. You’ll also treat yourself to clean skin, haircare, well-being and a fresh and healthy home. “Everything is as clean as it can get. Every ingredient of every product in here I thoroughly vet,” says Mallini.
Editor’s Note: This article has been slightly modified from the original print version for optimal online reading. To view the full print story, pick up your copy of Hawaii Home + Remodeling at one of our partner locations.
