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Reusing and refilling bottles

Posted October 13th, 2008 by vaneks22

Have you ever considered having consumers bring back their rinsed out used bottles (dish deterg., laundry deterg. etc.) to where they purchased it so they can be shipped back to your distribution centers to be refilled?

I don't see why (as long as they are in good shape) you can't reuse the containers until they need to be recycled. They can be shipped back in the same boxes that they came in. And most certainly it would cost less to send back empty bottles and refill them, then producing new/recycled containers! The savings can then be passed on to the consumers and more people might buy the product because it costs less!

Too simple to be true?

Nicole V.



Comments
Ooh! I agree; kind of like
Posted by evonmariepierce | Tue, Oct. 14, 2008

Ooh! I agree; kind of like when you buy a new printer cartridge they have that package on the inside so you can just drop the old one in the mail to go back to them...

Even better, refill the bottle in the store with a dispenser
Posted by brooklynapril | Sun, Nov. 30, 2008

Shipping empty bottles still uses fuel and few stores will take up floor space to hold empty boxes waiting to send them back. If there were refilling dispensers in the stores, then not only are the bottles avoiding landfill, but customers are actively participating in saving the planet a bit at a time.

Depending on the size of the retailer (corner grocery versus Wal-mart), the gallons of product that can still be sold without the cost of bottling small bottles would be very significant. This would help in burgeoning markets such as India and China as well as America. China (pop 1.5 billion) is relying heavily on coal-burning plants for electricity, which is effectively erasing America's (pop 305 million) green tech efforts.

This is a comparatively easy thing to do.

reusing and refilling bottles
Posted by Colleen Marchand | Thu, Dec. 18, 2008

I can see how the cost of labor and shipping would offset any savings of reusing the bottles. However, I would like to suggest a modified bottle design that could be converted to a storage container after the detergent is used. A simple pull strip like those that connect lids to buckets could be added to the top of the bottle to disconnect the spout and handle after the bottle is emptied. A lid could be attached at the bottom which could also be disconnected with a pull strip and then used to seal the container. Pulloff labels could be used to reveal white space for labeling items for storage. Then rather than having trash when the detergent is gone, one would have a solid, shoe-box sized storage unit. Moms would love it for storing children's toys. Dads could use it to store small items in the workshop. The ideas for use are endless. After all, the big box stores sell millions of this size containers every year. This would be a throwback to the days when detergent companies offered premiums with their product. It would build brand loyalty, equity in the product and be a greener solution to tossing the container in the landfill (for the multitude of places that DON'T offer recycling.)