JOY FILL

We are excited to welcome in the new year and have been thinking a lot about what our goals and 2019 resolutions will be.

We want to continue introducing you to new ideas and products that can help reduce waste and make living sustainably a bit easier. We are also tossing around the idea of ordering bulk refills online/shipping to your doorstep, a refill subscription program, and/or offering local delivery. We want refilling to be accessible to everyone, and understand that sometimes your proximity to our store or our hours just don't align with your needs.

We would VERY MUCH appreciate your feedback on this idea. We have created a quick, 2 minute online survey in order to see if it would be worthwhile to explore any of the options above. You can fill out the online survey by clicking the link below, or next time you are in the store, we can email you the link directly.

ONLINE SURVEY: surveymonkey.com/r/RMDWCXQ

Moving on, if there is ever a time to commit to a less wasteful lifestyle, that time is now! We have listed a couple suggestions below on where you can start:

1. Plan Ahead! This is probably one of the most important and impactful things you can do. Pack a water bottle before you leave the house, keep a reusable coffee cup with you for that early afternoon coffee craving, meal prep at home so you can avoid doing take out, keep MULTIPLE reusable bags in your car for when you need to make a stop at the grocery store etc. Gather all your empty bottles as they run out so that when you are ready to head to JOY FILL to refill, you have everything you need.

2. Buy package free whenever possible, and choose to refuse plastic. Take advantage of farmers markets near you, shop the bulk bins at grocery stores, choose produce that is not packaged in a plastic bag or netting, etc. When you cannot avoid packaging, try to choose recyclable materials such as glass or cardboard. Keep in mind that JOY FILL accepts cleaned containers to be dropped off in our ‘Free Bin”. This bin is useful if you come into the store and forget your container, don’t want to purchase one of ours, and need a refill!

3. Resist throwing anything away! Yes, we are all aware what can be thrown into our city recycling bins (btw Denver recycling now accepts paper coffee cups into recycling bins) but what do you do with the rest of the “trash”? Well, food scraps can of course be composted, but there are MANY recycling drop of centers located around the city for miscellaneous items such as plastic bags, batteries, light bulbs, empty pain cans, contact lens cases, the list goes on! If you live in the Denver area, I have listed a few recycling drop off locations below. Another GREAT option would be to check out thistelhillzerowaste.com. Catherine offers recycling pickup services for those hard to recycle items, and for just a small fee.

Recycling Centers in the Denver Area (some of these locations do charge a small fee for certain recyclables):

A. Sustainability Recycling: https://www.sustainability-recycling.com

Accepts common recycling such as plastics bottles, metal cans, paper, cardboard, etc.

B. Blue Star Recyclers: http://www.bluestarrecyclers.org/recycling.htm

Accepts various electronics such as computers, small appliances and tv’s/monitors

C. Nearly every major grocer (Safeway, King Soopers, etc) will take back plastic shoppings bags, #2 or #4 plastic films, as well as any plastic bags that have the How2Recycle label on them.

4. Rethink your food storage. We carry reusable/dishwasher safe silicon zip lock bags that range from snack size to 1/2 gallon. We also carry bees wax wraps (made here locally by Khala Cloth) that are a fantastic substitute for plastic wrap. Stainless steel lunch containers are perfect for prepped meal storage or to take home your leftover food from restaurants. And, if you aren't looking to bring anything new into your home, mason jars are GREAT for storing almost anything.

1. The Shikai brand. Refill options are currently a tea tree shampoo and conditioner, gardenia shower gel, and color care shampoo.

2. Meow Meow Tweet brand geranium frankincense body oil.

3. Clean Planetware compostable loofah sponges. These sponges are plant based (made from gourds) and come in a pack of 6.

4. Copper stainless steel soap pumps by Mason Jar Lifestyle, to go along with the bronze color we have already carried.

5. Friendsheep wool dryer balls. You have the option to create your own set with our black, white, or gray color options and dryer ball bag for storage.