Lansing’s First Low-Waste Store Opening Shop In REO Town

If you have been looking for a way to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle and cut down on your plastic or just general disposable packaging consumption, Clean Refillery is opening on Saturday, April 10th to help!

According to a press release, Alexa Hecksel, a Lansing native, started taking steps toward a zero-waste lifestyle after losing her father to pancreatic cancer made her think more on her own legacy. However, she found it was extremely challenging to do locally.

You can start small, Hecksel points out, by doing things like using shampoo bars instead of bottles and bringing your own reusable bags to the grocery store; however, finding low waste products locally in one single place was the challenge.

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"I had to ship them, which was counterproductive to creating a small carbon footprint," Hecksel said. "The idea of a business really came into being when friends started asking what products I recommended because they knew I shopped for sustainable products.”

So, Hecksel decided to start Clean Refillery online in October of 2020 and was able to cultivate "a loyal online following of customers," says the press release. Now, she is able to open up a storefront at 1136 S. Washington Ave. in REO Town.

When it comes to keeping things environmentally-friendly, Hecksel has it figured out.

First, she sources products from local vendors to cut down on the environmental impact. For example, the press release highlights the laundry detergent comes from Fresh Coast Clean in Haslett, body butters from Shea Republic in East Lansing and skincare comes from Earthy B Green Living in Bath.

Also, at Clean Refillery you can find package-free and refillable (as the name suggests) personal care and home care items such as wool dryer balls, bamboo toothbrushes, reusable bags and more.

Products like hand and body wash, laundry detergent, various cleaners and more are refillable by either buying new re-usable containers or bringing in their own and paying for those products by the "tare weight."

All in all Hecksel is providing people opportunities to even just do even the little things where they can. She even prefers to refer to the store as "low waste" versus "zero waste."

"My goal for Clean Refillery is to be a springboard to help people live a more eco-friendly lifestyle,” said Hecksel. “If you start with small changes, the next one feels more attainable."

While Hecksel plans to keep online ordering available for customers, pickup will be available in store and after the grand opening this weekend (Saturday, April 10th) Clean Refillery will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Shopping secondhand is another great way to help out the environment, here are some cool places around Lansing to do just that!