Eco-friendly service aims to eliminate single-use plastic

Does the over-reliance on single-use plastic products trouble you? Alexa Hecksel has the exact same concern; so she started Clean Refillery, a small business that replenishes bottles of laundry detergent, dish soap and other cleaning supplies.

“Clean Refillery is a refill store. Essentially it’s a place where you can come with empty containers, or I will provide an empty container, and I will refill it with the product,” Hecksel said. “My customers place orders and I switch out containers like the classic milkman would have.”

Hecksel said she decided many years ago that she wanted to reduce her carbon footprint by cutting back on the amount of trash she produces. “Each person leaves behind a big pile of garbage. I started eliminating things from lifestyle, like takeout containers and grocery bags,” Hecksel said.

While committing herself to this eco-friendly lifestyle, Hecksel noticed a lack of places to shop where she could purchase necessities, such as shampoo and other toiletries, without having to eventually create more plastic waste. 

“I decided that I needed to make this service because we didn’t have it here in Lansing. I didn’t think I was alone in that,” Hecksel said.

Hecksel purchases product wholesale, utilizing as many Michigan-based companies as possible, and sells them to Clean Refillery’s customers using prices recommended by her suppliers. Customers get started with Clean Refillery by first placing orders on its website, cleanrefillery.com. Once they have used the entire product, customers return to the website to alert Hecksel, who will then pick up the empty container, refill it and drop it back off.

Hecksel, who also works in digital marketing and photography, has only been operating Clean Refillery since late October. She said an increase of free time, brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, was also responsible for Clean Refillery’s creation. Hecksel said she’s had no problem finding clientele who were also interested in drastically reducing their disposable plastic usage.

“People have been very supportive and understanding. This is a new thing I am still figuring out,” Hecksel said. “Lots of people have told me, ‘I’ve been looking for something like this but couldn’t find it.’”

Check out Clean Refillery’s products and services at: Cleanrefillery.com