Try one of Denver’s 8 refill shops.
Every year, the average American uses, and discards, about 110 pounds of single-use plastic. A lot of those wrappers, containers, and jugs end up in oceans and rivers, but even if they don’t, the mere process of making plastic emits millions of metric tons of greenhouse gases.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that “containers and packaging make up a major portion of municipal solid waste, amounting to 82.2 million tons of generation in 2018. Packaging is the product used to wrap or protect goods, including food, beverages, medications and cosmetic products.”
Luckily, plenty of us are trying to turn those grisly statistics around. In fact, around a third of Americans are actively reducing their single-use plastic consumption, according to New York’s Marist Institute for Public Opinion. This burgeoning spirit of sustainability is prompting more refill shops – small businesses that sell soaps, lotions, and other household products without the packaging—to crop up around town. Shoppers bring in their own containers (or use ones provided by the store) and pay for their product by weight, which almost entirely eliminates waste.

The idea is gaining traction, and we are fortunate to have eight refill shops in and around Denver that you can visit to restock everything from shampoo and cosmetics to kombucha and dog treats.

Homefill Co.
Location: 7405 Grandview Ave., Arvada
Hours: Tuesday–Friday 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
At Homefill in Olde Town Arvada, owner Kim Whitehead’s selection of bulk products like window cleaner and body wash are reducing Coloradans’ plastic usage. In fact, last year, Homefill saved over 9,500 bottles from sitting in landfills. That environmental win is thanks to Homefill’s vast offerings of shampoos, lotions, sunscreen, cooking oils, and spices that draw locals in. Additional eco-friendly products, such as bamboo soap dishes and compostable trash bags, also line the shelves. Like other refill shops, you can bring in any container to fill, or Homefill gives you the option to have most goods shipped to you. If you’re a green guy or gal on the go, you can drop off your containers and pick them up at your convenience.

Off the Bottle Refill Shop
Location: 220 E. 13th Ave., Denver (Capitol Hill)
Hours: 10 a.m.–7 p.m. every day
 
Capitol Hill’s Off the Bottle offers vegan, cruelty-free alternatives to common household products. Try swapping your pricey Bounty for Unpaper Towels, Oregon-made cotton cloths that absorb spilled liquids and are machine washable. But the store’s real star is its selection of refillable products. Just bring in any container  and the staff will weigh it to subtract it from your total before filling it with whatever soaps, cleaning concentrates, shampoos, teas, or spices strike your fancy.

 New Moon Refillery
Location: 408 S Teller St, Lakewood, CO 80226
Hours: Opens 11 AM
At the Lakewood location, you’ll find everything from cleansing oil (a gentle alternative to soap) to retinol serum to sponges from Canadian small business Plantish that are made of biodegradable plant-based cellulose. They offer free delivery to most of the Denver metro area for orders over $45, an effort to incentivize customers to make less frequent but larger purchases to reduce emissions. For orders under $45, you’ll pay a $4 local delivery fee.

Joy Fill
Location: 4340 W. 35th Ave., Denver (West Highland)
Hours: 10 a.m.– 6 p.m. every day
You’ll find a plethora of goods such as detergent gel from Boulder Clean and dog treats from Boulder’s Winnie Lou. Bring in your own containers or participate in the jar exchange program (pay $1.50 per jar, and when you bring them back, you’ll get a discount of $1.50 each on your next purchase). You can also participate in Joy Fill’s recycling program: bring in cleaned recyclables (check online to see what’s currently being accepted), and they’ll collect them for free.

Juniperseed Mercantile
Location: 5641 S. Nevada St., Unit A, Littleton
Hours: Vary by season, check online
Tiffany Norton has always been environmentally conscious, but it wasn’t until the former science teacher became frustrated with the high cost of eco-friendly products that she decided to begin making her own. Inspired by her mother and grandmother’s recipes, Norton and her team craft many of the cleaning products and herbal remedies found in her downtown Littleton store. You can stock up on lotions, oils, and soaps and receive a discount when you bring your own containers. And parents of young kiddos, this one’s for you: Juniperseed offers washable baby wipes, baby balm, and everything you need to try cloth diapering.

Zero Market
Location: 2501 Dallas St., Ste. 160, Aurora
Hours: Monday–Saturday 10 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Zero Market has been around since before refill shopping was cool—aka 2016. Inside the storefront at Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace, shoppers can find more than 1,000 products ranging from household cleaners and cosmetics to kombucha and cooking herbs. If you want to level up your planet-friendly lifestyle, check out Zero Market’s pay-what-you-can workshops, which cover topics like the basics of composting and how to make your own soap.

Nude Foods Market
Locations: 3538 W. 44th Ave., Denver (Berkeley); 3233 Walnut Street, Boulder
Hours: 10 a.m.–7 p.m. every day
What started as a grocery delivery service quickly became a brick-and-mortar store in Boulder, and the concept was so successful that the owners of Nude Foods Market opened a second location in Denver last year. All of Nude Foods’ goods, from juices to produce to household products, come in reusable glass jars. Customers pay $1.50 per container and then return them to the store for $1 back each (Nude Foods Market keeps 50 cents as a cleaning fee). Avoid the container rental fee by joining the membership program (starting at $15 per month) and benefit from members-only discounts.

 Refillary
Location: 19501 E. Parker Square Drive, Parker
Hours: Wednesday–Friday 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 9 a.m.–3 p.m.; Monday-Tuesday by appointment
Rather than striving for perfection, founder Adrienne Grolbert encourages customers to start their refill journey small, like swapping your weekly Dove purchase for some refillable hand soap. All Refillary’s products, from its dishwasher powder to goat milk lotion, are made in the U.S. and are carcinogen-free.