To lessen the load on landfills, some manufacturers of household cleaners are going green and offering concentrated detergents in small refill packages.
These "just-add-water" cleaners are part of an eco-friendly line of detergents aimed at cutting the amount of plastic household garbage by as much as 80 per cent.
In May, Planet People announced its iQ REFill (Reduced Environmental Footprint) cleaning line will now be sold nationwide. Available at Walmart and Loblaw stores, the four concentrated cleaners (All-Purpose, Bathroom, Glass and Floor cleaners) come in small recyclable cartridges that you empty into a reusable iQ bottle and fill with tap water.
"For a product that is 95 per cent water, the costs to the environment - and to the consumer - just don't add up," says Eric Green, president of Planet People. "We created iQ to combat the excessive waste and cost of traditional cleaners, designing something that is easy to use, easy on our planet and 25 per cent less expensive than conventional cleaners," he says.
Method, creator of non-toxic, biodegradable home-care products, has partnered with TerraCycle to keep its foaming hand wash, dish soap and laundry detergent refill pouches out of the landfills.
According to the Method website, the lightweight pouches not only yield "more than 80 per cent savings in materials, energy and water over normal bottles," they are reused by TerraCycle to make plastic bags, fabrics and textiles.
Available at Canadian Tire, Home Outfitters, Shoppers Drug Mart and grocery stores, including Metro.
Info: methodhome.com
