{"id":183034,"date":"2025-08-14T11:32:54","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T15:32:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/?p=183034"},"modified":"2025-09-24T21:34:54","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T01:34:54","slug":"vienna-trace-zero-waste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/vienna-trace-zero-waste\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability Happens One Refill at a Time at Vienna&#8217;s Trace &#8211; The Zero Waste Store"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"custom_featured_image\" style=\"display:none;\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/trace_zero_waste_FI-800x533.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"trace zero waste\" style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/trace_zero_waste_FI-800x533.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/trace_zero_waste_FI-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/trace_zero_waste_FI-585x390.png 585w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/trace_zero_waste_FI-263x175.png 263w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/trace_zero_waste_FI.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/div><div id=\"custom_category\" style=\"display:none;\">Shopping Smart<\/div><p>For those looking to cut back on plastic waste and make a positive environmental impact in the Vienna community, look no further than Trace &#8211; The Zero Waste Store. The refill store sits at 140 Church St NW, where customers can purchase bulk items like spices, baking powder, and even shampoo and conditioner. All shoppers need is a few reusable containers and a box or bag to carry them home in. Owner and Vienna resident Mala Persuad even delivers some orders to customers\u2019 doorsteps.<strong> Keep reading to learn more about how to refill containers with groceries and household items at Trace &#8211; The Zero Waste Store.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>The Inspiration<\/h3>\n<p>When Mala Persuad noticed piles of trash and plastic littering the roads during a solo trip to Belize, she realized the next destination for that trash was the ocean. This wasn\u2019t new to her; she had seen the same piles of trash in her hometown of Woodbridge, New Jersey, and in New York City, where she started her career as a journalist. Yet, something about the litter in Belize sparked a fresh, serious commitment to living as waste-free as possible.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);\" data-instgrm-captioned=\"\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DGWUMYWyHF9\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px;\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DGWUMYWyHF9\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Trace &#8211; The Zero Waste Store (@tracezerowaste)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>That commitment later turned into a brick-and-mortar storefront on Church Street in Vienna in July of 2021 when Mala opened the zero-waste refillery <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tracezerowaste.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trace &#8211; Zero Waste<\/a>. Customers bring their reusable containers to refill bulk items, from cleaning supplies to personal care products and groceries. The container is weighed before refilling, ensuring customers only pay for the product inside.<\/p>\n<p>Trace also features a curated selection of sustainable alternatives to everyday products in conventional grocery stores. Reusable floss, paper towels, napkins, bamboo cutlery, and even water balloons can be found throughout the store, perfect for those looking to cut down on their environmental impact in their everyday lives.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Read more:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/clothesline-arlington\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">This Arlington Non-profit Gives Kids Clothes a Second Life<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>As a Vienna native, Mala felt like she could make the biggest impact on the community she was already familiar with. Plus, the quaintness and walkability of downtown Vienna made the store location accessible and appealing.<\/p>\n<h3>The Trace Experience<\/h3>\n<p>Mala\u2019s mission was not only to help her friends, family, and community cut back on one-use plastic items and lower their waste impact, but she also wanted to help share information and educate Vienna residents on sustainability. Her professional history in journalism and strategic communications gave her a unique set of qualifications to effectively share information with those around her.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-198875\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/inside_trace_zero_waste-800x800.png\" alt=\"trace zero waste in vienna va \" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/inside_trace_zero_waste-800x800.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/inside_trace_zero_waste-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/inside_trace_zero_waste-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/inside_trace_zero_waste-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/inside_trace_zero_waste-585x585.png 585w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/inside_trace_zero_waste.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that the journalism and the ethics background made me a good candidate for this kind of mission-driven business, because I see how important it is to be a credible source of information,\u201d Mala said. Along with discussing sustainability with everyday customers, Mala has also hosted elementary school students and Girl and Boy Scout troops to talk through the environmental impact of overconsumption and how they can make a difference through small life changes.<\/p>\n<p>For beginners looking to start the zero-waste journey, Mala suggests focusing on the reduce and reuse part of the famous \u201creduce, reuse, recycle\u201d mantra. Her journey to being environmentally conscious and opening a refill store began after her trip to Belize.<\/p>\n<p>She started investing in reusable items to replace plastic and single-use products in her everyday life. From refillable water bottles to reusable grocery bags and bamboo to-go cutlery, Mala slowly began to lower her waste impact.<\/p>\n<p>When Mala was later caught trying to refill grocery items into reusable jars instead of plastic bags at a grocery store, the idea for a refill store sparked in her mind. In 2019, she started doing pop-ups at local events with small amounts of inventory, and slowly started seeing the impact she was having on her friends, family, and community. When she felt like there was a big enough market in the Vienna area for a store like Trace, she fully committed to finding a storefront.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>See more:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/angelica-boleta-reston-painter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nature\u2019s Inspiration is All Around for Reston-based Painter Angelica Boleta<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just decided to keep going until there was an obstacle that I couldn\u2019t climb over or punch through or walk around,\u201d Mala said. \u201cAnd then there I was, signing a lease on a brick and mortar in July of 2021.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since its opening four years ago, Trace has refilled around 29,000 containers with things like beans, olive oil, protein powder, flour, shampoo, laundry powder, salt, and pepper. Trace also started offering delivery services to those local to downtown Vienna, with Mala dropping off orders herself.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-198876\" src=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/soap-station-at-trace-zero-waste-800x800.png\" alt=\"the soap station at trace zero waste in vienna\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/soap-station-at-trace-zero-waste-800x800.png 800w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/soap-station-at-trace-zero-waste-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/soap-station-at-trace-zero-waste-200x200.png 200w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/soap-station-at-trace-zero-waste-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/soap-station-at-trace-zero-waste-585x585.png 585w, https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/soap-station-at-trace-zero-waste.png 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Along with serving the Vienna area, Trace recently branched out to the Reston community by partnering with the Elden Street Tea Shop in Lake Anne Plaza. Any online orders purchased by Wednesday of each week can be delivered from Trace to Elden Street Tea by Thursday, giving Reston residents a shorter commute to pick up sustainable goods.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI set out to make an impact on the environment every single day, and when I see for my own eyes how people\u2019s habits are changing in their own homes that I have the privilege to go into, it chokes me up,\u201d Mala said.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s1\">Follow @thefairfaxgirl on\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thefairfaxgirl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s2\">Instagram <\/span><\/a><span class=\"s1\">+\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@thefairfaxgirl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s2\">TikTok<\/span><\/a> for the latest Northern Virginia updates, and check out our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s2\">events calendar<\/span><\/a>, which has over 100+ events weekly to peruse.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"categories\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"\/fairfax\/category\/lifestyle\/\">Lifestyle<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shopping SmartFor those looking to cut back on plastic waste and make a positive environmental impact in the Vienna community, look no&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":415,"featured_media":198882,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[8833,9709,7997,7998,8818,9593,9714,9294],"tags":[9801,9743,9770,9741,9788,9735],"class_list":["post-183034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-fairfax-county","category-lifestyle","category-people","category-shopping","category-local-girl-rss-feed","category-vienna","category-women-owned","tag-farmers-market","tag-northern-virginia","tag-nova","tag-vienna","tag-weekend","tag-women-owned"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Sustainability Happens One Refill at a Time at Vienna&#039;s Trace - The Zero Waste Store - The Fairfax Girl<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vienna resident and journalist Mala Persaud opened Trace - Zero Waste to help others in the community lead a more sustainable lifestyle.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/vienna-trace-zero-waste\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sustainability Happens One Refill at a Time at Vienna&#039;s Trace - The Zero Waste Store\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Vienna resident and journalist Mala Persaud opened Trace - Zero Waste to help others in the community lead a more sustainable lifestyle.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/vienna-trace-zero-waste\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Fairfax Girl\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-14T15:32:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-25T01:34:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thelocalgirl.com\/fairfax\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/trace_zero_waste_FI.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"666\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Melanie Jensen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Melanie Jensen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/fairfax\\\/vienna-trace-zero-waste\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/fairfax\\\/vienna-trace-zero-waste\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Melanie Jensen\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelocalgirl.com\\\/fairfax\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/aedb1ff1c6dfbeb0c2ea96c34f379ee0\"},\"headline\":\"Sustainability Happens One Refill at a Time at Vienna&#8217;s Trace &#8211; 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