Inventory: These B.C. refilleries provide low-waste solutions for our everyday grocery needs

Credit: Nada Grocery

Nada Grocery’s Brianne Miller and Alison Carr

Re-Cycle

Nada has been providing package-free grocery items since it opened in Vancouver in 2015, but founders Brianne Miller and Alison Carr expanded into delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their partnership with Shift Delivery transports goods like flour, pasta and granola via carbon-neutral e-bike delivery. In-store and online

Credit: Chickpeace

Allisha Heidt, founder of Chickpeace in Kelowna

Compost Queen

Many years travelling the world and working in the corporate sustainability sector left Allisha Heidt longing for a more meaningful career, so she founded Chickpeace in June 2020. Besides bulk items, the Kelowna-based refillery has a compost program (where customers can drop off organic waste) and a community kitchen that supports small food producers. In-store and online

Credit: Ash Refillery

Ash Refillery

Wax On

Low-waste living is better for the planet, but it’s also expensive. In an effort to make sustainability more accessible, Adriana Tulissi, Seth Erais and Heather-Lynn Erais opened Ash Refillery last summer with a three-tiered price structure, offering cheaper basic items as well as higher-end ones. More than 90 percent of the Victoria-based store’s goods are made in Canada, and 95 percent are from women-owned companies. Ash also has a unique candle refill program–give them a used glass candle, and they’ll pour in new soy wax and essential oils, and insert a new wood wick. In-store and online

Credit: Soapstand mobile refillery

Soapstand mobile refillery

Press Start

This isn’t a brick-and-mortar store or an online service–it’s a refillery on wheels. Andy Chou founded Soapstand in 2019, and his Vancouver-manufactured automated refill machines are popping up in grocery stores across the city (including Choices and Famous Foods). The vending machine-esque refillery, which takes less than 60 seconds to use, is stocked with biodegradable dish soap and laundry detergent. In-store

Credit: WiseFill

WiseFill zero-waste delivery service

Glass Pass

Taking the bus with a tote bag full of jars isn’t the ideal errand, so Vancouverite Elisa Lauzier founded WiseFill for eco-conscious folks who don’t have a lot of time (or a car). The zero-waste delivery service, which launched in January, offers a variety of household cleaning and personal care products in glass jars. After your first order, they pick up the jars and sanitize them for reuse. WiseFill also has next-day delivery five days a week, so they’ve got you covered for soap emergencies. Online