The UCCS Bookstore will be getting refillable hand soap and lotion dispensers.
The dispensers will be available on March 31. Creator of the initiative junior Kiela Adon said the dispensers will offer a long-term financially and environmentally sustainable alternative to purchasing entirely new products.
The project was funded by the Green Action Fund, an organization that helps fund sustainable student projects. According to Chair of GAF Bailey Parenteau, the station construction and first round of product cost a total of $600. The project was approved with the stipulation that products must be sustainably sourced and diverse enough to serve the entire UCCS population.
The dispensers will use lemon-lavender scented hand soaps and lotions from Fillaree. Students will be charged approximately $0.35 per ounce according to Parenteau.
The project is expected to be self-sustaining, using its profit to purchase future products. Adon hopes to eventually expand into bar soaps, shampoo, conditioner and non-perishable foods.
Adon said she proposed this project in response to overconsumption and single-use plastics.
“I want to give students at UCCS an accessible alternative because plastic waste is a huge issue right now. Having bulk refills allows people to bring their own fun containers, instead of buying a bottle of product that will be thrown away once it’s used up. When you throw away something, it doesn’t disappear. It is still on this Earth,” Adon said.
She was inspired to implement the project after visiting Conscious Living, a business in Old Colorado City that uses the same closed-loop product system for home and body products. She hopes the project will reduce UCCS students’ waste while also changing their mindset toward reusing objects.
Students can find the refill station in the bookstore located on the first floor of University Center on March 31. Students can apply for grant funding from GAF through the form on their website.
Photo courtesy of Fillaree.