Reduce & Reuse Refillery opens downtown store
The Reduce & Reuse Refillery, Miami Valley’s first mobile refillery, is opening up a brick and mortar store in downtown Dayton. Photo of the storefront courtesy of Megan Hudson.
Maddy Bartsche | Arts & Entertainment Editor
Located on 434 E. Third St., Reduce & Reuse Refillery will celebrate its grand opening on Jan. 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The refillery offers a way for customers to avoid single-use plastics in packaging and products and instead gives them the option to refill containers they already own.
Megan Hudson, Reduce & Reuse Refillery owner said, “We pretty much have anything you could think of for home and body care. Our main focus is refills which include all purpose cleaner, detergent, dish soap, facial toners, shampoos and conditioners.”
A variety of sustainability-focused vendors will be at the opening including: @ottiliajunevintage, @prairieroseandmarigold, @pinkmoongoods, @about.a.thing, @valshomekitchen, @tarynpenrosephotographyandart, @1880candleco, @dolcedoppio, @shopdesertroots, @waste_free_dyt and @blondebettyvintage.
The shop sells other sustainable products like biodegradable dental floss, dryer balls to replace one-use dryer sheets, cotton mesh dryer bags and plastic-free scrunchies.
Furloughed from her corporate job during the pandemic, Megan decided she wanted to find a way to be more sustainable and help others do the same.
Megan explained, “I had heard of refilleries, and I was wishing there was one near us. We had Fresh Thyme which is a grocery store where you can refill your granola and oats. So, I got my grocery shopping down to very little waste and I was like ‘I wish I could do this for home and body care products.’”
The Reduce & Reuse Refillery began with a mobile truck selling products made from essential oils with no artificial ingredients at local farmers markets. In fact, you may have noticed the Reduce & Reuse Refillery truck present at UD’s Flyers Farmers Market that was held on Tuesdays from August to November fall 2021.
“The reason I went with a truck is because I saw some on the West Coast, like in LA, and that would be like a great way to start. I don’t have to find [a] location now. I can be accessible to everybody [and] travel around.”
One of the issues with the mobile shop was that products would freeze in the truck in cold weather, while in warm weather the products were vulnerable to degrading in quality, Megan explained.
The new physical store will allow all the products to be at room temperature all year round, saving Megan the labor of hauling products in and out of her truck.
So how does the process work? You can bring in your own containers, maybe an old shampoo bottle or mason jar, or you can purchase containers at the store. Once you run out of your product, you can head back to the store for a refill.
When shopping at the Refillery, not only will you avoid single-use plastics in packaging, but also in your products.
“So many different things have plastics in them like microbeads for facial cleansers.When you buy more natural brands, you know that you’re not getting plastic inside the containers as well as outside,” Megan said.
There is a shocking 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic waste estimated to be in our oceans. According to the EPA in 2018, landfills received 27 million tons of plastic. The refillery is part of a broader zero waste movement that aims to reduce the amount of single-waste products ending up in landfills and our oceans.
Megan describes how our actions will affect future generations and it is our responsibility to do something to help the problem.
When you choose more sustainable options, “You are doing something about it. Even if it seems like a small scale, it’s really not,” Megan said.
“We speak with our dollars, so why wouldn’t we spend our dollars on what is important to us?” Megan said.
In terms of the future, Megan said, “I want people to be more aware. Maybe being a part of the downtown community, we can inspire other shops, stores or even the public to make it more of a mindset.”
Want to know more about how the Refillery? Visit their website or follow them on Instragram @reduce.reuse.refillery.
The Refillery will be taking appointments up until Jan. 29.. Visit the appointment page on their website to schedule a time to shop for products.
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