Photo: WBZ NewsRadio \ Suzanne Sausville
HANOVER, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Two South Shore "refilleries" are working to cut down on plastic waste.
Customers at Four Corners Supply Company, in Hanover, and Z.E.R.O Refills, in Cohasset, bring their own containers and get a refill of the products they need.
The stores' missions are to cut down on plastic use as recycling plastic is less effective than we are made to believe, store owners said. Refilling containers with zero-waste eco-friendly shampoo, conditioner, laundry detergent, sunscreen, shaving cream, etc. cuts down on the number of new plastic bottles bought.
"Five percent of plastics that are produced are actually recycled," Julia Traggorth, owner of Four Corners, told WBZ's Suzanne Sausville. "The reality is that plastic is not a really recyclable material, you'll get one to two uses out of it max. It's downgraded every time it's recycled."
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Traggorth said there are many people that do what she calls "wish-cycling," when they recycle products they believe are recyclable, but actually are not. She said plastic grocery store bags are an example of this.
Clarissa Wade, owner of Z.E.R.O Refills, said producing zero waste is a challenge, but it is the ultimate goal.
"While I do realize that we can't be 100 percent zero waste in this modern society, it's a goal that we work towards," said Wade.
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