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Ocean County’s First Zero Waste & Refill Store Is Now Open In Toms River

Updated – to reflect a correction: In the original article, I accidentally wrote that the Loza sisters were students at Rutgers, when in fact they are nursing students at Seton…

One Stop Eco Shop Store Front
Lane

Updated - to reflect a correction: In the original article, I accidentally wrote that the Loza sisters were students at Rutgers, when in fact they are nursing students at Seton Hall University. My apologies to the Loza family.

May 20, 2023, was a big day for Brooke and Madison Loza. The twin sisters from Brick, New Jersey hosted the grand opening of Ocean County’s first ever zero waste and refill store – One Stop Eco Shop at 1174 Fischer Boulevard in the Fischer Court Shopping Center.

Back in 2020, Brooke created an Instagram account to raise awareness about the waste that was and still is threatening our planet. What started out as zero-waste product guides and posts loaded with information, turned into easy and affordable ways people like herself could become more sustainable and work towards a low-waste lifestyle.

Throughout the years, Brooke and her sister Madison believed that everyone should have access to sustainable and affordable zero-waste products which drove them to start a business. One year later, the online version of One Stop Eco Shop was born.
Two years after the online store went live, the Loza sister’s dream of having an actual retail space became a reality.

I stopped by a couple of weeks before the grand opening to see how things were coming along. The pictures below tell the story, it was not even close to being finished. I had no doubt that these determined young women would get this done in time for the grand opening with the help and support of their families.

Back Room During Construction of One Stop Eco ShopLane - WRAT
Construction Of One Stop Eco ShopLane -WRAT
Construction In ProgressLane - WRAT

I returned on opening day to see lots of smiles, and a nearly stocked store with shoppers filling their reusable containers with items for their pantries such as pasta, quinoa, organic brown sugar, granola, all-purpose flour, a large variety of spices including organic selections, olive oil, avocado oil, and vinegar all priced by the ounce.

Quinoa - Granola - RiceLane

There was a nice selection of personal care items such as sunscreen, aloe vera gel, toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner (the citrus & vanilla smelled divine), toothpaste, and body lotions.
Liquid Hand Soap Dispensers Toothpaste Tablets

Eco-friendly household cleaning products from laundry detergent, to toilet cleaning pods.
Laundry Detergent Dispenser

I was happy to see cat treats for my fur baby Oscar Wilde. He actually went wild when I came home and placed a few of those premium-quality goodies on the floor.

Cat Treats Made With Chicken and brown riceLane - WRAT

One Stop Eco Shop will also carry dog treats. They are currently on backorder and are expected to arrive soon.

I love how the operation is set up. There’s a community jar area and weigh station to the right as you walk into the store with cubby blocks loaded with some supply containers for sale, and containers donated by other customers for you to use should you forget to bring containers.
Community Jar &Weigh Station Sign

Before you start shopping, you weigh each container on the scale separately, then you take a tare weight disk complete with an elastic band from the jar next to the scale and touch the disk to the top of the scale’s computer screen and it will subtract the weight of the container, then you wrap the elastic band around your container and go shopping.
Donated jars Tare weight disk

I got to meet the twin’s family members, including their mom, Andrea, dad John, Grandma Rose, Aunt Michelle, and their brother Jacob who is also a twin. Jacob’s twin sister Emily was not there when I arrived.
Brooke & Madison Loza with Grandma Rose

If you don't see what you're looking for, feel free to ask. If you have any suggestions on what you would like to see in the shop or need them to stay a little late or come in early - just let them know! They want to make refilling as accessible as possible! ⁣

Current operating hours are Monday from -1pm - 8 pm and 10 am - 8 pm Tuesday through Sunday.

I remain blown away by these 20-year-old Seton Hall University nursing students and their quest to make the world a better place. On opening day, I was made aware that not only are Brooke and Madison on the Dean’s list, they recently joined the Army National Guard.

Brooke and Madison Loza are living proof that if you can dream it, you can be it. They are smart, hardworking, tenacious visionaries who give me hope for the future. I am honored and proud to know these phenomenal young women.

Rockyn Robyn Lane is WRAT’s Music Director & Assistant Program Director. She also has worked as the on air goddess 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM, Monday Through Friday since 1996! Robyn loves to write articles and blogs mostly about food with an emphasis on local eateries. She says she loves shining the spotlight on local businesses, giving them the love they deserve. Not surprisingly, Robyn also loves to cook and bake herself. He recipes can be found on WRAT’s various social media pages. She also hosted a short series called “Rocker In The Kitchen” where she cooks with various rock artists.