Vernon’s first refill store set to open

Sustainable living is about to get easier in Vernon.

This coming Saturday, Vernon’s first refill store, Fill, will have its grand opening in the Polson Mall.

Fill was conceived by owner Teresa Sanders with a simple goal – to create a place for Vernonites to be able to find high quality cleaning and hygiene products, but without the waste of single use plastics.

The store works on a pay-by-weight system. Customers bring in their own containers or purchase one in store, fill it up, weigh it, and pay.

Sanders said she was inspired to start Fill when she started researching recycling practices around the world.

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“I really felt like I had been doing my part because I was so diligent with my recycling. Then I saw the stats that only nine per cent of plastic worldwide is actually recycled. That was a real kicker to me,” she said.

Fill carries cleaning supplies like dish soap, laundry detergent, window cleaner, dish washer tabs, tile cleaner and personal care products like shampoo, shampoo bars, body wash and even deodorant.

For those who might be looking for some of the more familiar big box brands in store, Sanders said they weren’t ready to go zero-waste yet.

“As far as products like Tide or Gain, despite my multiple attempts at getting their products in Fill, they’re not looking at the refill method at this point. They are focusing on the year 2030 for plastic reduction,” she said.

Sanders said they will be carrying well-known eco-friendly brands like Oneka Elements, Live for Tomorrow and Sapadilla Soap Co.

This will be the first store of its kind in Vernon and Sanders said she believes that the city is ready for a refill only, zero-waste store.

“I’ve had people connecting with me daily asking me when the store is opening. I’m super touched by the support I’ve gotten from the community,” she said.

Sanders said she is driven by a goal to help make the world more viable for future generations.

“It’s ultimately for our kids. We need to make sure that we’re going to have something that is sustainable for them in the future.”

She believes the environmental motto ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ is no longer as relevant today as it once was. Sanders said the focus should be on reducing and reusing, so the potential for recyclable waste isn’t created in the first place.

“It has to be refilling before recycling,” she said.