Net-Zero Oases: Refill Shops

Frustrated with finding plastic packaging on almost every product you buy, knowing the energy used to produce (and recycle) it—and how long (450 years!) it can take to decompose? I know I am. Globally, personal care products alone contribute more than 120 billion units of plastic annually and most are not recyclable. One way to lower our carbon footprint by reducing single-use plastics is to take our purchasing dollars to a “refillery.” A net-zero option found also at health food, co-op, and farmers markets, refilleries are popping up as stand-alone retail shops. Bring reusable containers (or buy theirs) and fill with eco-conscious home and personal care products and, often, food items, too.

I belong to Co-Opportunity Market in Santa Monica, California where I scoop nuts, beans, spices, grains and more from their bins and refill my clean glass jars. Recently, my friend and fellow writer, Erika Kotite, and I attended an event in Orange County, California, and added a stop at Eco Now refill store to our trip. The sun through the windows lit up the rows of glass jars and made the little shop sparkle, inviting us to linger. There was much more there than I needed today: makeup, handmade bar soaps, perfumes. But I was making mental notes for future gifts and more.

I refilled my old plastic laundry bottle with concentrated, biodegradable laundry soap (the empty bottle was weighed first), purchased a small refillable glass jar of chemical-free toothpaste, and took note of the vat of dish soap and variety of hair-care products offered for my next visit.The high price of laundry soap surprised me but I was assured I only needed a tablespoon or two per load. Erika confirmed this and also the fact that it will last longer of course. We left, happy with our purchases and glad to support the environmentally-conscious mission of both the products’ makers and this local business. To find a refill shop in your area, check this refill directory. —Hillary Black, Editor

Eco Now refill shop, Garden Grove, California.

Erika Kotite refilling toothpaste tablets.