Sustainable essentials,
straight to your doorstep.
Every Tuesday, we're delivering your everyday essentials across the South Sound.
Who We Are
Founded in 2019, A Drop in the Ocean is Tacoma's first zero waste refillery! From toothpaste to toilet paper and everything in between, we've got your everyday essentials covered, sustainably — and straight to your doorstep.
We believe that sustainable living should never make your life inconvenient or be yet another thing on your to-do list. It should be easy, affordable, and accessible. And from the very beginning, our closed-loop, milkman-style local delivery has been one of our favorite ways to ways we make that happen.
Local Delivery Updates
This page will always be updated with any changes made to our local delivery schedule. Any last-minute changes will be communicated via email. If you're not signed up to receive emails from us, you can do so here.
- We will be SHIFTING deliveries from December 15 to FRIDAY, December 18, 2026. We will not be delivering on December 22 or December 29, 2026. All local delivery orders placed after 11:59pm on WEDNESDAY, December 16 will be delivered on Tuesday, January 5, 2027.
How our local delivery system works:
step 1
Confirm your address is within our delivery radius.
We deliver to the following zip codes: 98352, 98354, 98371, 98373, 98398, 98401, 98402, 98403, 98404, 98405, 98406, 98407, 98408, 98409, 98411, 98412, 98413, 98415, 98416, 98417, 98418, 98419, 98421, 98422, 98424, 98443, 98444, 98445, 98446, 98447, 98448, 98464, 98465, 98466, 98467, 98471, 98481, 98490, 98493, 98496, 98497, 98498, 98499.
The blue shaded area of the map represents our delivery area.
Outside of our delivery radius?
Not a problem — we ship nationwide! Check out how our online refill program works and all the ways we're keeping your orders as zero waste as possible.
Basically, you get the exact same system and service, with no excess waste, just through USPS instead of my own car :)
We've even done the math to make sure it's still more sustainable to ship your empty containers back to us than to recycle them locally! You deserve to feel confident that your choices are actually in alignment with your values.
step 2
Choose your products.
Every product in our online shop is available for local delivery. Simply choose the items you want delivered and add them to your bag.
Please note that we have a $20 order minimum for delivery — before taxes and after discounts.
step 3
At checkout, choose Local Delivery.
Select "Local Delivery" as your shipping method at checkout.
Please note even if your order total is above our $100 threshold for free delivery, please be sure to select "Local Delivery," rather than "Free Shipping." Even though they're both free, please help us keep deliveries sorted on the back-end of things!
step 4
Help us find you!
If there are any specific delivery instructions that would help us find you — things like gate codes or where we should leave your products — please include those in the "Delivery instructions" box on the checkout page.
step 5
Tuesday is delivery day!
We're coming to you — so sit back, relax, and do a little happy dance when your order arrives 💃
All of our deliveries are contactless. We will place your order on your doorstep, knock on your door (I'm a stickler for Shave-and-a-Haircut), and walk away. You'll get an email notification that your order has been delivered a few moments later.
step 6
Got a refill?
Ready for a refill? We gotchu covered.
On delivery day, if your empties are ready for us to pick up, just leave them on your porch and we'll grab 'em! We'll get them washed and back into circulation within a few days.
If you've ordered a refill of a liquid item, such as shampoo or hand soap, make sure you keep the pump! Your refill will not include the pump, so that you can just transfer the pump to your new bottle.
You've got questions. We've got answers.
We do all of our deliveries on Tuesdays, typically between 10am and 7pm.
All orders for Tuesday delivery must be placed by 11:59pm on Sunday.
To keep our local delivery system sustainable for us and for the planet, we have a delivery minimum of $20 — before taxes and after discounts.
Orders less than $20 will be shipped via USPS.
For orders under $100 there is a delivery fee of $5.
All orders over $100 — before taxes and after discounts — qualify for free delivery.
We deliver to the following zip codes: 98352, 98354, 98371, 98373, 98398, 98401, 98402, 98403, 98404, 98405, 98406, 98407, 98408, 98409, 98411, 98412, 98413, 98415, 98416, 98417, 98418, 98419, 98421, 98422, 98424, 98443, 98444, 98445, 98446, 98447, 98448, 98464, 98465, 98466, 98467, 98471, 98481, 98490, 98493, 98496, 98497, 98498, 98499.
We do not have a local pickup option, and that decision is highly intentional for the planet.
Check out our post on the impacts of online shopping for a deep dive on why we don't have a pickup option!
We do not have a way to refill personal containers on our delivery route. But don't worry — all of our jars and bottles are part of a closed-loop system. When you leave out an empty for us to collect on delivery day, it gets washed and reused over and over again.
Locally-Sourced Faves 🥰
We're so incredibly proud that about 64% of all of our products are handmade within 100 miles of Tacoma.
