SHOP A GREEN DREAM

Eco- friendly biz, Ayahuasca Zero Waste, opens in Fitchburg

FITCHBURG » Ayahuasca Zero Waste owner Lisset Mccarthy is committed to her new business being fully green and ecofriendly, complete with a refillery station and plant shop enclosed in the warm and welcoming atmosphere at 6 Summer St., which opened Dec. 11.

“We are a three-vision business,” Mccarthy said. “Environmental, social, economic.”

Customers can bring their own containers or purchase ones to reuse and fill them with a variety of products such as hand soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, dish soap and laundry powder, with most of them sulfate- and palm oil-free and PETA certified.

“You get the desired amount you want and pay just for the product and not the packaging,” Mccarthy said. “I always have been interested in the environment and nature, so this is what inspired me to make my own

natural self-care products without using harsh chemicals and plastic.”

She said she began sharing products she created years ago with family and friends who ended up giving her “such great feedback” that she began selling the products at area farmers markets.

“Since Fitchburg is progressing so much, I thought it was a good idea to open the shop here where I live,” she said.

Mccarthy, who has lived in the city for almost seven years, got certified as a soap maker in 2017 and offers handcrafted artisan soaps in her shop that come in a plethora of delicious scents. In addition, she also has a bulk beauty bar where customers can purchase raw products to make their own natural beauty products, including a variety of oils such as avocado and grape seed, several botanicals and clays, body butters, glass straws and more.

Besides all the above, the shop features zero waste products such as bamboo toothbrushes and shampoo bars as well as house plants, crystals and candles.

“What makes Ayahuasca Zero Waste different from other businesses is that we worry about the destruction of the ecosystem and the consequences for our current and future generations,” Mccarthy said. “Because of this reason we started to recycle our own cooking oil and other peoples’ cooking oil, which goes and contaminates our oceans and kills millions of aquatic life forms.”

They purify the oil and use it to make soaps and the “very popular all-purpose soap,” with all profits from the latter soap donated to organizations that feed stray dogs in South America and animal sanctuaries there.

‘What makes Ayahuasca Zero Waste different from other businesses is that we worry about the destruction of the ecosystem and the consequences for our current and future generations.’

– Lisset Mccarthy

Mccarthy said she has received “nothing but positive feedback” from customers who have visited the shop, many who have become regulars. She said she often hears people say “Wow, we needed this,” or “This is amazing,” in reaction to her Earth friendly business.

“We appreciate it very much,” she said. “Everybody that supports Ayahuasca Zero Waste is not only supporting a small business, but they are also being part of the change by buying zero waste. At the same time, they are helping to help.”

For more information, email contact@ayahuascazerowaste.com, visit ayahuascazerowaste.com, and follow Ayahuasca Zero Waste on Facebook and Instagram.

COURTESY LISSETT MCCARTHY ayahuasca Zero Waste on summer street in Fitchburg is filled with a variety of ‘green’ items including handmade soaps, plants and refillable products.

COURTESY Pamela RICHARDSON Fitchburg resident Lisset Mccarthy, pictured with her husband John Mccarthy, recently opened an ecofriendly business, ayahuasca Zero Waste, on summer street.

Photos courtesy lisset mccarthy ayahuasca Zero Waste customers can bring their own containers or purchase ecofriendly ones to refill products including hand soap, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, dish soap and laundry powder.