Big Kildare Interview: Waste not, want not with Kildare zero-waste store Refillz

A new store in Kildare is paving the way for both businesses and consumers who wish to reduce or even completely eliminate the waste they generate.

Refillz, which is based in Naas, sells wholefoods and eco-friendly products sourced locally.

According to the owners, married couple Martin and Sinéad Wisely: "The concept is simple, you bring your own containers and fill as little or as much as you want."

Bonding with bears

Commenting on the origin of Refillz, they explained: "We initially moved to Vancouver in Canada for a career break and to broaden our horizons... we secured jobs working and living in their Provincial Parks which really opened our eyes to nature, biodiversity and conservation."

"Our many ‘friendly’ encounters with bears and other wildlife showed us how they can live and adapt to the ever-changing environment around them and how important it is to protect them," Martin and Sinéad added.

The duo explained that they were both brought up to reuse things over and over again and not let anything go to waste, but admitted that it is difficult to shop plastic-free in the modern world; as such, the pair decided to set up Refillz.

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Setting up shop

It took Martin and Sinéad three months to setup the shop, building everything from scratch with great help from our family and friends: "All the wood we used was reclaimed and it took a lot of effort to bring them back as close to their original state£ they explained.

"We removed all the slatwall, plastered up the uneven walls and gave them a lick of paint... although fitting the dispensers and scoop bins on shelves with uneven walls was a headache in itself!"

When asked why they set up in Naas, the duo said that they feel that the community there "is now ready for an alternative way to shop plastic free."

"We’ve had great interest from the community since we opened: the biggest hurdle for any zero waste shop though is retaining customers.

"To shop this way takes a little more planning and to remember to bring your own containers!"

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The problem with plastic

When asked about the Irish govt's tackling of waste management, the duo said: "The govt's answer to tackling waste is just to export it and let someone else deal with the mess... this is obviously not a sustainable solution, and a lot more needs to be done to tackle the mounting waste problem we face in this country.

"The recent ‘solution’ to allow all plastic to be taken in the green bins is literally only ‘greenwashing’ as most of it will be exported anyway: there is no incentive for companies to produce plastic free packaging, and this needs to be tackled head on by the government."

Specifically, the duo added that they are intent on changing the way we get rid of one stubborn material: plastic.

"Plastic has only been around for about 100 years but has created waste that will take hundreds more years to degrade."

They continued: "Just before the pandemic, there was a huge push to end single use plastic and it became socially wrong for companies to keep offering it.

"The pandemic put a halt to this drive and actually encouraged more single plastic use, and we hope that this momentum will start again when hopefully we return to some form of normality."

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Putting pressure on multinationals

In addition, the two said that, as stories of unethical practices being discovered within multinational companies have become more common over the years, the vast majority of people have become more conscious of their purchases.

They further called on govts around the world to put pressure on multinational businesses to stop the production of plastic: "If govts could put pressure on these companies to find alternative natural packaging or better still package free, the burden would not be left with the consumer to dispose of unnecessary packaging waste."

Refillz is located at the Kilcullen Road in Naas.