Sustainable Living Solution: Refilleries
A refillery is the perfect place to start your sustainability journey. There are many types of refilleries, some offer food in bulk while others offer household and hygiene products. I’d say a common mission of refilleries is to offer a low waste, low plastic shopping experience that supports more sustainable living practices. They typically have…


A refillery is the perfect place to start your sustainability journey. There are many types of refilleries, some offer food in bulk while others offer household and hygiene products.
I’d say a common mission of refilleries is to offer a low waste, low plastic shopping experience that supports more sustainable living practices. They typically have a bring-your-own container type system but they also offer containers for purchase.
I like to bring my amber glass bottles and mesh market bags. If you have old shampoo bottles or soap dispensers, that works too – just make sure to clean them out in advance.
I visited my favorite refillery, Koko The Shop, in Louisville, Kentucky. Koko began as a solution to a problem: a lack of convenient resources to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
There is a bar of bulk products (hair products, skin products, deodorant, detergent, dish soap, dog soap, cleaning concentrate, etc) and a weighing station.
How Do Refilleries Work?
Weigh, fill, weigh again.
- Weigh your container before you start.
- Fill your container with new products from the bulk bar.
- Weigh your container again after filling. A store associate will calculate your total cost
- Pay and enjoy your newly refilled product.
To find a refillery near you Google terms like – refillery, bulk store, zero-waste store.
It’s important to recognize that sustainability is not the same for everyone.
Small steps are still steps in the right direction. I personally feel that starting slow sets you up for success.