We support sustainability for your lifestyle. It’s at the heart of everything we do because we believe a sustainable life is value driven with the physical and mental energy you need to thrive, raise your family and give to your community. Returning your reusable packaging helps us reduce waste, conserve resources, and keep our costs down, which ultimately supports our mission to provide healthy, organic food for your family so you can truly experience wellness.
Returning your reusable packaging is simple and convenient. Here’s how you can do it:
- For Pick-Up Locations:
- All our pick-up locations hold returned boxes and other reusable packaging for the next pick-up.
- Simply bring your items back each time you pick up your Market Box.
- Bonn Place, PBS39, Lehigh U, St. Stephen’s, Holy Ghost, Spark Studio, Stonehedge, etc
- For Home Delivery:
- Designate the same spot where you receive your farm box as the return location.
- To make it clear for our drivers, consider putting up a small sign that says:
“Willow Haven Farm Returns” - Place your items there before your next scheduled delivery, and our drivers collect them when we drop off your box.
- Return to the Farm:
- Bring your reusable packaging to our Farm Store porch anytime, located at:
7686 Herber Rd, New Tripoli, PA 18066
- Bring your reusable packaging to our Farm Store porch anytime, located at:
- Return to Willow Haven Farm General Store:
- Drop off your items at the Willow Haven Farm General Store during our open hours:
8150 Hamilton Blvd, Breinigsville, PA 18031- Open Hours:
- Tuesday–Friday: 7 AM– 7 PM
- Saturday: 7 AM– 4 PM
- Open Hours:
- Drop off your items at the Willow Haven Farm General Store during our open hours:
Every item you return helps us reduce waste and stay sustainable. Thank you for your partnership in making this system work!
Why We Hate Plastic (And How You Can Help Us Be More Sustainable)
At Willow Haven Farm, we’re passionate about growing healthy food while taking care of the environment. But sometimes, balancing these values comes with tough decisions—and that’s where you, our wonderful farm members, come in.
Recently, we received a thoughtful email from one of our members, Theresa, who shared her concerns about the plastic bags we’ve been using to package vegetables. Theresa told us:
“We love how your produce is organic and sustainably grown, but we’re concerned about all the plastic bags. Our family has been working hard to reduce single-use plastic in our home. Could we have the option to receive vegetables without all the plastic?”
Theresa’s concerns mirror our own.
We hate plastic too! So why have we been using it?
The answer lies in a problem we’re trying to solve: not enough reusable packaging is being returned to the farm.
The Hidden Costs of Sustainable Agriculture
Over the years, we’ve invested heavily in reusable materials to package your vegetables sustainably. Ice bricks, green cartons, egg cartons, insulated foil liners, and large cardboard boxes are all designed to be returned and reused multiple times.
But here’s the challenge: when these items don’t come back, we have to replace them—and it’s expensive.
🌱 Reusable Packaging and Their Replacement Costs:
- Ice Bricks: $10 each
- Green Cartons: 10¢ each
- Egg Cartons: 50¢ each
- Foil Liners: $5 each
- Cardboard Boxes: $2 each
While these numbers may seem small individually, they add up to thousands of dollars every year. With tighter budgets during the winter months, reordering these materials in bulk becomes even more difficult.
How You Can Help: Label It, Train Your Household, and Return Packaging
We understand that in busy households, reusable packaging can sometimes get lost or mistaken for trash or recycling. That’s why we’re taking steps to make it easier for everyone to recognize and return these items.
🌱 Our New Label Strategy
We’ve started placing clear labels on all reusable packaging to help remind you and your household to return them. The labels look like this:
I’M NOT TRASH!
Help me find my way home to Willow Haven Farm! 🏡
🌱 Reusable Items: Ice Bricks | Green Cartons | Egg Cartons | Foil Liners | Cardboard Boxes
🌱 Train Your Household
Help us (and the planet) by training your household to spot these labeled items and set them aside for return. A few simple tips:
- Create a Return Zone: Set up a dedicated spot in your home or garage for reusable farm items.
- Keep Away from Trash & Recycling: Make sure these labeled items don’t accidentally end up in your recycling bin or trash pickup.
- Educate Everyone in the Home: Share this effort with your family or housemates so everyone is on the same page.
Why Reusable Packaging Matters for Sustainable Agriculture
At Willow Haven Farm, we believe that sustainability is lifestyle. When you return reusable packaging, you help us keep costs down, reduce our reliance on plastic, and stay true to our shared mission of providing nutritious healing foods from our local farmers who are committed to sustainable agriculture.
Your feedback, like Theresa’s email, is a reminder of how much we all care about this issue. We’re actively working on better solutions, and your partnership in this effort means the world to us.
Thank you for helping us take care of the land while nourishing our community.
We support your desire to have a good, healthy way of life and organic farm food on your table that supports that goal.
We’ll keep farming for you!
Reuben and Tessa DeMaster
Willow Haven Farm
