when you get in My mother and Hapa At zero waste stores, you’ll be greeted with fresh scents and the buzzing noise of large dispensers dispensing shampoos, soaps and cleansers.

At the company’s four Portland-area locations, the goal is to offer a shopping experience that limits single-use plastics as much as possible.

You’ll find everything from face wash and hand soap to muscle-relaxing cooling gel and toilet bowl cleaner.

“There’s just about every non-edible liquid you can think of in your home,” said Ross Ching, who owns Mama and Hapa’s with his wife, Nadia Takla.

Beyond liquids, the store also offers a variety of household items without plastic packaging. Here you’ll find bamboo toothbrushes, lip balm, and even cloth diapers in paper tubes instead of plastic tubes.

Ching’s primary goal zero waste shopping as accessible as possible. For him, that meant keeping prices low and creating a simple in-store system for customers.

The store’s liquid dispensing system is activated by an RFID card. Customers pick up a card and go from station to station, tapping the card to start the dispenser’s flow and removing the card when finished. The card tracks the amount you top up and is scanned at checkout.

Shoppers can bring their own containers or purchase new, reusable containers in store. Mama & Hapa’s also offers a jar pickup and drop-off program. Customers can leave unwanted, clean containers for another customer to use, free of charge. Empty glasses of maple syrup and jars of Tostito’s nacho cheese line the shelves in this section.

“Usually when you want to do something good for the environment, it always costs more,” Ching said. “So we try to keep our prices the same as what you’d find at Fred Meyer or Safeway.”

Mama & Hapa’s has four locations: two in Portland, one in Milwaukie and one in Beaverton.

“The goal is that you can save money on plastic and not have to pay more,” Ching said.

If you go: All locations are open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; 1389 SE Stark Street, Portland; 3806 N. Mississippi Avenue, Portland; 11122 SE Main Street, Milwaukie; 12695 SW Crescent Street #130, Beaverton

— Vickie Connor is a visual journalist who covers features, travel and outdoor adventures, and co-hosts The Oregonian’s Peak Northwest podcast. reach out to him [email protected]