Just off of North Avenue and 10th Street in Grand Junction, the airy and sunny New Way Refillery is open for business. Filled with jumbo-sized pumps of everything from lotion to laundry detergent, this little store and its owner, Kate Bennett, aim to make a big impact on the way Western Colorado residents view reusing household goods.

What’s a refillery? Much like the name implies, the idea of a refillery is for people to purchase common household goods, such as laundry detergent, shampoo and dish soap, and reduce waste from single-use plastic containers by bringing their own to fill with the product they need. Although stores like this have popped up all over the Front Range, Bennett decided that this was something Grand Junction needed, too.

Bennett, a former teacher, looked at what she considered her strengths and combined that with a business she thought Grand Junction needed. “I wanted to do something that wasn’t repetitive or competitive and that aligned with my values,” she explains. She saw a video for a refillery in California and a lightbulb went off.

“Initially, we didn’t know whether the community was ready, so we started with a mobile service — a van — and we saw such high demand that we opened a storefront,” Bennett says. It was a huge hit. “We had some people joke with us saying, ‘you’re late!’” Bennett laughs.

In addition to the welcome she’s felt from her customers, Bennett feels the hospitality from the business side, as well. “I love the city support,” she shares. “I love how [Grand Junction] popularizes the small businesses, the growing art community, the farmer’s market … I’m really excited for Grand Junction.”

For Bennett, reusing and refilling is just one component of building a more sustainable world. “I think it’s about the bigger picture. It’s about understanding your personal impact and responsibility and also the world’s situation and the root of the problem,” she adds. “It’s one way to unite like-minded people in common efforts to bring the change we need.”

Stepping into the world of resource reuse doesn’t have to be intimidating or expensive. Bennett recalls what a few of the cleverest containers people have brought in to fill with a product they need: “I’ve had people bring in clean ketchup or mustard squirt bottles to use for shampoo and conditioner, yogurt containers for lotion, and I once had someone bring in tiny mason jars to sample things; I thought that was brilliant!”

It was actually an attempt to refill a plastic soap refill pouch that led Bennett to introduce another option for sustainable refills in her store. Those without suitable containers can make a deposit on a glass jar and have the amount refunded once it is brought back.

Bennett believes that no container is too crazy, and reusing in any way is beneficial. “That’s the whole point,” she laughs, “to reuse what you have and give it new life!”

Sustainability also means considering what you will be most likely to stick with. The idea of switching everything to a refillable all at once seems daunting, and may not even be the best practice.

“Start small,” Bennett advises. “Pick an area of your life or an area of your house that is easy or you see as most wasteful.” She recommends going product by product, using up what you already have, then refilling when it’s empty. “Don’t feel like you have to do everything at once,” she says.

Bennett designed the entire business around simplicity and peace of mind. Her goal is to do all of the research in order to source the best products, so that her customers don’t have to.

“People should feel confident knowing they’re buying products that are ethically made from companies that treat their employees well and whose values align with theirs. It’s not just a green leaf on the package,” she believes.

However, this is no easy task for a onewoman show. “It’s the biggest part of my job right now,” she admits, and cites her quest for the perfect toothpaste tablets as a recent example. “We went through a lot of samples,” she laughs.

But, even when the search seemed futile, Bennett wasn’t willing to make any compromises. “I was so frustrated that the quality wasn’t on par with what I wanted. None of them were an adequate substitute for toothpaste,” she recalls. Finally, her persistence paid off, and Bennett found a small Canadian company that made exactly what she wanted. “I was so impressed with the quality,” she says. “Now they’re one of my favorite products I keep in the store.”

Although, Bennett points out, the result of such a rigorous testing and researching process means it’s impossible to pick just one preferred product. “They’re all my favorite,” she laughs. “They’re all the best.”

Learn more at newwayrefillery.com.

Originally published in the Spring 2022 of Spoke+Blossom.

A New Way To Go Green