Plastic pollution is one of the biggest problems on earth with 6.3 billion tons of plastic waste on our planet.
“It takes 5 seconds to produce a plastic bottle, 5 minutes to consume and 500 years to dismantle in a landfill,” says Irene Chen, founder of Unpackaged Eco.
"We started Unpackaged to do just that – to unpack products, cut out single-use plastic and replenish our path to a cleaner planet."
To date, the company has helped rescue nearly 8,000 bottles from the landfill, and has refilled it in collaboration with 18 independent supermarkets around Victoria.
Each of the stores involved was equipped with neat-looking refill stations that deliver environmentally friendly cleaning products – washing-up liquid, hand wash, multiple cleaners, disinfectant, hand disinfectant and washing liquid – all from Unpackaged Eco.
How does it work?
Every second unpacked customer has decided to refill.
"Our system was developed to enable supermarkets to easily check out," says Ms. Chen.
“… First-time customers buy a pre-filled bottle and a cash register as usual. Returning customers bring their empty bottle back to the store, refill it themselves at a station and remove the barcode to scan the refill barcode underneath. "
The additional bonus? Customers can save between 30% and 50% of the original price by refilling.
“Our goal is to make this refill service accessible to every household in Australia. That's why we invite local retailers in all states to work with us to make this possible, ”concludes Ms. Chen.
