a three minute read that offer's a makers perspective

Our LOW TO ZERO WASTE refilling program launches mid-March 2022. Here is a link to the new site for more detail: https://durossandlangelrefill.com

I'm going to hit you with a few numbers that were very helpful to all of us when attempting a clearer understanding of our personal consumption of plastics.

A lot of folks have been expressing their desire to do away with single use plastics. We agree and feel the need to enlarge the conversation and see what's really happening. Best info takes us to 2018, where plastics generation was 35.7 million tons in the United States, 14.5 million  of which came from the packaging of food. Almost all of the food plastic was non-recyclable. 

The EPA used data from the American Chemistry Council, the National Association for PET Container Resources, and the Association of Plastic Recyclers to measure the recycling of plastic. While overall the amount of recycled plastics is relatively small—three million tons for a 8.7 percent recycling rate in 2018—the recycling of some specific types of plastic containers is more significant.

The recycling rate of PET bottles and jars was 29.1 percent, and the rate for HDPE natural bottles was 29.3 percent in the year 2018. The number for PET and HDPE recycled should be much higher yet so many people still do not recycle.

Products commonly made from recycled PET include new PET bottles and jars, carpet, clothing (*all the stretch materials from yoga pants to those jeans you're wearing), industrial strapping, ropes, most automotive parts, fiberfill for winter jackets and sleeping bags, construction materials, and protective packaging to name a few. HDPE plastics can find new life in plumbing pipes, plastic lumber and flooring, children's toys and a vast range of other products. Fun Fact: did you know that it takes 23 recycled D+L bottles to make one pair of yoga pants?

This is why we use PET and HDPE. It also has the added benefit of lasting decades in our homes if properly clean, sanitized and refilled.

The new website addresses all of our thoughts on directly refilling bottles and why we feel our system best address the legal and ethical responsibilities we hold. We understand that some retailers will refill your bottles, and while we have a retail store, we are registered manufacturers of bath, body and spa products under the category of cosmetics. As such, we have a much higher standard toward efficacy, safety and sanitary practices. We will continue to source new materials in an ever evolving market and strive to improve what we can offer to make this a better planet.

We have the vision. Sometimes it's simply a matter of the market catching up.