This (Sustainable) Saturday we took a trip up the San Diego coast to visit the Sonora Refillery in Oceanside. We found out about this neat shop earlier this month when we attended a sustainability workshop through I Love a Clean San Diego (a local non-profit). “What’s a refillery” you ask? It’s an aspiring zero-waster’s dream store! The idea is that customers can bring in their own containers (or purchase glass ones in the shop) in order to refill them with the products that they need. The shop owner, Marissa, is on a mission to help the community cut down on plastic waste. Her adorable shop carries personal hygiene products, such as shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, etc. in bulk. It’s a fantastic idea and she’s clearly super passionate about it.

We had a great time chatting with Marissa and learning all about the products that she carries in her shop. She puts a lot of thought and research into choosing her products. We were really excited to find two of the items that we have been looking for lately – toothpaste tabs and silk floss! The main idea behind both products is that they allow you to cut back on plastic consumption – the tabs come in a glass jar (vs. a plastic tube) and the silk floss comes in a glass jar. We’ll do a full post focusing on why silk floss is so dang cool another time, but suffice it to say that we are stoked to have found it without having to order it online.

Our trip to the Sonora Refillery this Saturday was mostly a scouting mission. Their website is currently being revamped so we decided to check it out in person to see what types of products they carried. Now that we know our options we’ll be able to plan ahead so that as we run out of shampoo, conditioner, soap, floss, etc. we’ll make a trip to the refillery with our existing containers instead of buying more products that come in plastic. The shop also carries laundry detergents, cleaning solutions, spices (salt, pepper), and bath products (epsom salt). All of her products are natural and safe for the environment. Such a great find!

Hope you all can find an option like this near you too! Do a bit of Googling – you might find a shop that you didn’t even know existed right in your own backyard. We sure were pleasantly surprised to learn about our Refillery. Happy waste reduction, everyone!

xo, Nicole