In this New Normal world, we find ourselves in, something that has taken on a new level of significance for all of us is hygiene - be it of hand or surface.
It’s undeniable that it’s always been considered important (even pre-pandemic) - but right now it’s simply untenable to neglect.
Unfortunately, with the need to distribute unprecedented levels of products like lateral flow tests and general sanitary products around the world in order to decrease the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks, the amount of single-use, non-recyclable packaging being produced (and thus later being added to landfill) has increased tenfold.
Cleaning products are far from immune - and, sadly, are not always nearly as sustainable as they could be. For example, hand sanitiser is often sold in either pump-operated bottles or large sachets for refillable, sanitiser dispensers. When sold in bulk, these bottles are wrapped in thin, transparent plastic - which is non-recyclable - and bottle pumps are often unable to be recycled too; sachets, while sometimes labelled and marketed as recyclable, must be done so at specialist locations, which can make it unprofitable or just a massive waste of time and resources to attempt (or at least corporations and small businesses alike see it this way).
While attitudes must change to safeguard the future of our planet, your choices can also make a huge difference - and the good news is that you can start right away.
Firstly, examine your purchases and your needs - do you really need that shipment of disposable antibacterial wipes? Wipes and their packaging are completely unsustainable - a bottle of disinfectant (ideally without a spray nozzle, but even with one it’s more responsible) will have an identical effect with significantly less waste produced.
As well as this, are you using more substance than you need? Some cleaning products are low concentration and dilute, meaning you may end up having to apply lots of it to achieve the desired effect. This will increase your outlay in terms of both shipping and overall unitary wholesaler costs as well as the magnitude of your carbon footprint due to the unnecessary water weight.
This is where we come in.
Our cleaning product refills, we like to call them efills, are both cost-effective and sustainable - working for you to prevent unnecessary outlay with their measured dose technology and drip-resistant spouts, as well as using minimal amounts of un-recyclable materials to make them as sustainable as possible.
These are perfect to replenish spray bottles or other nozzled devices (thus preventing the production (and subsequent sending to landfill) of additional spray bottle pumps) - and they come with fully recyclable packaging in highly concentrated forms.
This high concentration makes the idea of cleaning product refills even more attractive to everyone with any sense - refills are sold with details on how concentrated they are attached to them, as well as instructions on how to dilute them based on what your intent with the product is. This not only allows you to create multiple concentrations of solution using the same base substance, but it also means that you are buying value - the lack of water included makes your purchases cost-effective and you will get more cleaning product overall than if you had bought dilute.
As an example, with one litre of a super-concentrated product, you can fill 100(!) ordinary spray bottles when diluted correctly.
As the need to adapt our lifestyles to decrease our individual and collective carbon footprints looms larger and larger, many are looking at lower-carbon/carbon-neutral alternatives to staple things in today’s world - and whether it’s switching to electric cars, increasing production of solar and wind/wave electricity or decreasing the amount of water and fossil fuels you consume, there are many ways to go about it.
As before, cleaning product refills are an excellent way to decrease your carbon footprint - put simply, they decrease the amount of non-recyclable plastic contraptions that are made, which, in turn, decreases the amount of fossil fuels used to make them. However, they also decrease the amount of recyclable materials that are produced as well because one 5L or 20L refill bottle plus one smaller receptacle that holds the substance where it’s needed will need less plastic by volume than the number of smaller receptacles needed to buy that many litres.
The non-recyclable pumps that would be included with numerous smaller receptacles would also be of significant detriment to the planet.
On top of that, due to the nature of their structure and shape, they can be reused for numerous other purposes (remember the adage ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ - you are reducing by using refills) and if bought in person, some shops sell refills via dispensers to fill bottles with, providing another use for them and decreasing your plastic consumption even more.
Cleaning product refills have yet another advantage - they allow you to store your substances more practically. Large refill bottles are so concentrated that storing the equivalent number of smaller bottles would take up more space - also, they allow for stacking and their shape is conducive for fitting in tight spaces.
If you wish to selflessly make your time on Earth as responsible and harmless as possible while saving money and space, refills are for you.
Make the switch today.
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