FAQ

Less than is a low zero waste purveyor  of sustainable sundries. Our goods are functional, natural, and free from harmful chemicals from vendors who are environmentally aware. Beyond that, we are agents of change. We strive to educate consumers on sustainability, product life-cycle, the harmful effects of single use items and plastic, and ways in which we can change our habits to change the industry.

In a nutshell, zero waste is the concept of a life in which you do not create a byproduct that is unnecessary, harmful to people, or harmful to the environment. To work towards this we can reduce our consumption, re-use what we already have, recycle or compost what we dispose of and as an industry, rethink our approach to production, distribution and the life cycle of what we create.

While we curate items here that fit this end, the concept really starts at home with you. Simple acts such as skipping the plastic bag at the grocery store, saying “No straw, please,” when dining out and staying away from single-use items are all steps towards living a zero waste life.

Composting is the act of organic material (think your banana peel, apple core, or anything made from naturally occurring material) to break down (decompose) naturally. In this process, these items we consider as “waste” decompose and become food for soil. It’s nature’s way of recycling.

Some locales have commercial composting facilities where residents can bring organic materials for composting. This is the fastest composting option. Check to see if you have one in your area.

For those who don’t have a commercial composting facility in their area, you can compost in your own backyard with a composting bin or even in your garden within limits. There are different methods of composting: tumbling, worm, bacterial, etc., so you’ll want to research which method makes the most sense for your lifestyle. This can be the second fastest method depending on which route you take and what you decide to compost.

Goods and the packaging use to transport goods don’t always make it to the compost or a recycling facility (a major problem with plastic) as they should. These items end up in a landfill and in our water ways. The good news is, in time, compostable material will decompose and no longer be “waste.” This is the slowest method.

For compostable items found on our site, follow the instructions or send us a message at hello@golessthan.com

The particular item you’re interested in doesn’t arrive wrapped with packaging other than to ship the item. That’s good news because it helps to reduce the production of materials. At times, we may wrap an item that was originally without packaging to protect it during transport to you. The wrap will of course be eco-friendly. Softer items such as soap blocks may arrive to you a bit jostled, but that’s the cost of taking care of planet earth.

A refill station offers dry and liquid goods such as shampoo and conditioner, hand and dish soap, face and body lotion, laundry detergent and pods, toothpaste tablets, candle refills, etc. to pay for by the ounce.

We encourage guest to bring their own clean and dry containers, even if they’re plastic! Reusing your own container reduces the amount of trash that end up in a landfill or in our waterways. You can also pick up one of our containers that are for sale or grab a container from the free section (quantity varies).

We weigh your container with lid/cap and jot down the weight – this is referred to as Tare weight. You fill your containers to the desired amount of any product you want. We’ll re-weigh your container with lid. You pay only for what you filled by the ounce. When you’ve used up the contents of your container, bring back and fill it again!

We’re here to help! Let us know what you want and we’ll try our best to meet your needs.

We use 100% compostable mailers made from plant material that is suitable for home composting and our shipping boxes are made from post consumer waste (PCW) material.

Our wrapping tissue is made from 100% PCW material and our stickers are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, on acid free paper and printed with soy ink.

Our packing tape is FSC certified, printed with soy-based ink and is water activated.

We ship 100% carbon neutral. This means, the impact of shipments are measured and offsetted by the funding of projects aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

We’re also super scrappy and try to reuse everything that comes to us during the course of business. Don’t be surprised to receive re-used shipping material.

In some instances we’re bound by regulations or logistics when shipping, but in every scenario, we’re committed to creating less waste than before.

You will receive your 3-10 business days depending on the delivery service. You will receive a tracking number to track your package on it’s way to you. Alternatively, you can use the order tracking option on our website to track your order. Holidays, natural disasters and inclement weather may impact delivery times.

We grant the delivery service 15 days to deliver a package after an order leaves us. We cannot be responsible for orders that are lost by the delivery service, or are marked as delivered but not received by you. A claim may be filed with the delivery service based on your shipping method and the insurance option chosen. Contact us for additional help hello@golessthan.com

We do not accept returns or issue refunds, but please contact us so we can review any issue you have with a product hello@golessthan.com

Returns are bad for the environment and double the resources used to conduct a transaction. Also, some items cannot be re-sold due to regulations outside of our control. We recommend gifting an item you no longer want.

You may remove items from your cart or abandon the cart altogether, but at this time, we are unable to cancel an order after it has been placed and paid for.

We’ll work with you and the delivery service to determine what went wrong and together, we’ll fix it. If you know that an item is on it’s way back to us, give us a heads up hello@golessthan.com

Yes, you can purchase a gift card on our online store. Just search “Gift Card.”

You will receive the e-gift card via email. Make sure your email address is correct with us and please check your spam folder.

Use the card at checkout to subtract the remaining balance of the card and pay for the remainder of your order with another method.

Thanks for thinking of us! Give us a shout hello@golessthan.com

Thanks for thinking of us! Give us a shout hello@golessthan.com