The Rounds Is Miami's New Zero-Waste Delivery Service

No one will ever accuse Miami of being a "crunchy granola" kind of city. We live in a world that's more about conspicuous consumption than tree-hugging. And yet, we see more and more electric car charging stations and recycling bins (and Teslas) in the Magic City.

Alexander Torrey is counting on the fact that Miamians do care about having less impact on the planet — especially if it's convenient.

A cofounder of the Rounds, a zero-waste company that delivers sustainable pantry items to your doorstep, Torrey has seen his company become successful in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and has brought the service to Miami.

"This city is so ready for a zero-waste service and we are very excited to be here," he says.

Launched last week in Miami, the Rounds offers delivery of basic household items in reusable, zero-waste containers. Coffee, cereal, and pistachio nuts arrive in sanitized Mason jars, hand and dish soaps in pump containers attractive enough to grace the swankiest Brickell condo. Everything comes packed into a canvas bag that's delivered so quietly your dogs may not realize someone's at the door.

The Rounds offers delivery as often as needed, and the company's algorithm, called the "psychic home manager," is designed to "learn" about you and what you need.

That means if you're reordering coffee more often than say, jam, the Rounds will adjust your order. The products (about 100 right now) are competitively priced. Membership costs $5.95 per month and includes weekly deliveries (less, if you want) of items. There are no delivery fees.

Torrey says the Rounds was invented based on necessity. "I lived in a high-rise in a city without a car for a decade. I would pay a premium for items because cities are more expensive to buy anything and I thought there had to be a better way."

Amazon, while convenient, does nothing to help stop waste, Torrey argues. "I ordered hand soap on Amazon. It came in a box within a box, I wanted another bottle and it came in an identical bottle. So now I'm throwing out a perfectly good plastic bottle that's meant to last forever and replacing it with the same bottle. I thought: This doesn't make sense."

Nor do most people who live in apartments have the storage space to buy items in bulk.

"I live in New York, but Miami rents are as expensive. Are you going to use your precious square footage to store 48 rolls of toilet paper? Let us store it for you."

Even people who love to shop can get behind the service, says Torrey, who adds that it might be fun to go to the farmers' market to try new things, but "nobody enjoys shopping for trash bags. Let us deliver that stuff to you."

The Rounds also takes the stress out of shopping by offering simpler choices. "It's not a benefit to a consumer if you have to go through thousands of options of a cleaner. We have unscented and lavender. For coffee, we have a dark roast and a light roast, and both are from a local roaster," Torrey says.

If the idea of having a delivery person pick up empty bottles and exchange them for filled ones sounds familiar, it's because water delivery services have been doing it for years — as have dairy companies.

"It's the reinvention of this classic model. It worked in the past and it will work in the future," Torrey says. "We just added technology to make things easier."

The deliveries themselves are eco-friendly, via e-bikes dispatched from micro fulfillment centers located throughout the area. 

The only downside to the Rounds is its limited scope. At present, deliveries are available from Brickell north to Morningside, east of I-95. The service area will begin to grow shortly.

"We plan to expand to all over Miami," Torrey promises.

If you want to try it for yourself, visit therounds.com. The first membership charge is waived, no promo code necessary.