Recycling bottles??

[SoapM0m]

Has anyone tried recycling bottles? I added shower gel to my line of products just this past summer. I had some customers return to me 4 empty bottles & said that I really should consider recycling bottles - that this is very important to today's generation. I agree wholeheartedly, BUT how can I sanitize them properly to be safe and...sanitary?? Any advice from anyone who's tried this? Thanks in advance!
Gretchen

 

[Todd Ziegler]

Unless you have a sanitary system that would be FDA approved then I would not refill those bottles yourself. You could be liable for a whole host of bad legal problems.

But, you can do like I do with my foaming hand soap. I sell refill packets. They are collapsible bags with a spout on top for filling and then they can fill the bottle themselves.

If you search for plastic flask bags on Amazon, you will see what I am talking about.

 

[TheGecko]

Manufacturers design plastic bottles and containers for one-time use only. As private citizens, who hasn't used sour cream, cottage cheese or butter tubs to store leftovers or refilled a bottle of water. But then again, we are private citizens. As a commercial enterprise...no. Again, manufacturers design plastic bottles and containers for one-time use only and that's because it is considerably cheaper to make a new bottle or container than it is to try and reuse them. The system that was [once] used to wash and sterilize glass pop and beer bottles, wouldn't work for plastic. Heck, I don't think anyone even does that anymore.

What you can do is what @Todd Ziegler suggests...sell refill packets.

 

[SoapM0m]

Thank you so much both of you - that really helps!

 

[rdc1978]

Has anyone tried recycling bottles? I added shower gel to my line of products just this past summer. I had some customers return to me 4 empty bottles & said that I really should consider recycling bottles - that this is very important to today's generation. I agree wholeheartedly, BUT how can I sanitize them properly to be safe and...sanitary?? Any advice from anyone who's tried this? Thanks in advance!
Gretchen

@Todd Ziegler would better understand, but just spitballing here...could you maybe sell in a glass bottle and sanitize that?

Seems like it would be easier to sanitize than plastic and would be more durable. Obviously it would have to be a pretty thick glass. But I think it sounds fancy

Although Todd's idea sounds good too. Especially if the refill package holds a lot of product.

 

[TheGecko]

@Todd Ziegler would better understand, but just spitballing here...could you maybe sell in a glass bottle and sanitize that?

Unfortunately, you wouldn't be able to just stick the bottles in your dishwasher and call it good. As noted by @Todd Ziegler, you're going to need specialized equipment to wash, sterilize and dry the bottles along with commercial soaps and sanitizers. That little dishwasher you see behind the bar...they can run between $4000 to $5700. Commercial dishwashers that you see in restaurants...you can double that price. I don't know too many artisan soap makers who could afford that.

 

[dibbles]

Since the product is shower gel, I don't think glass is a good option. There is a safety factor to consider, and dropping a slippery glass bottle seems more than possible.

The suggestion of refill packets (or large size bottles) is probably best, but the plastic bag required to sell a refill seems less recyclable than a plastic bottle which can be rinsed before recycling. The consumer can recycle it themselves. I don't think they fully understand that a reusable bottle (returned to you for sanitizing and refilling) is not something you can easily do.

Or use bar soap

 

[rdc1978]

Since the product is shower gel, I don't think glass is a good option. There is a safety factor to consider, and dropping a slippery glass bottle seems more than possible.

The suggestion of refill packets is probably best, but the plastic bag required to sell a refill seems less recyclable than a plastic bottle which can be rinsed before recycling. The consumer can recycle it themselves. I don't think they fully understand that a reusable bottle (returned to you for sanitizing and refilling) is not something you can easily do.

Or use bar soap

I was thinking more of a thicker glass that I think (?) Is shatter proof (resistant?).

I have a really thick glass mixing bowl and it seems like id have to drop that sucker from the roof to get it to shatter!

But, as you said the refill pouch is probably the best option, for a number of reasons, especially if you can make it with enough for like 5-7 refills to offset the environmental concerns about a plastic refill pouch.

 

[dibbles]

I was thinking more of a thicker glass that I think (?) Is shatter proof (resistant?).

I have a really thick glass mixing bowl and it seems like id have to drop that sucker from the roof to get it to shatter!

But, as you said the refill pouch is probably the best option, for a number of reasons, especially if you can make it with enough for like 5-7 refills to offset the environmental concerns about a plastic refill pouch.

A lot of showers are ceramic tile. While a thicker glass might not shatter, it could still crack or chip. Maybe not easily, but there is a liability factor to consider. As well as the expense. Glass bottles are far more expensive than plastic, and if OP ships product it is also heavier and will increase the shipping cost to the buyer.

 

[Todd Ziegler]

@SoapM0m there really is no way to do what you want. I share your concerns about creating more plastic that could end up in a landfill or the ocean.

What you can do is encourage your customers to recycle, offer to recycle it for them or offer a small discount for someone who brings the used plastic back to you for recycling.

If you go the route of selling refill bags, you can do it the way I do it. What I do is sell refill bags that are twice the size of the original container. That way you create less waste and make more money. The biggest cost for my foaming hand soap is the bottle itself. Depending on where I buy them, they can be up to 75% of the total cost. But the refill bags are only around 25% of the cost.

In these days of litigation fever, a penny of prevention is better than $100 of the cure.

 

[dixiedragon]

I'm wondering if you can have a bit refill container, I'm thinking the size of the mustard and mayo containers at Costco. With the pump attached. And then people could refill their own bottles?

https://www.grainger.com/product/6E...ucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2293:99F1R6:20501231
something like this? And heck - you can do 4-5 scents and people can create their own blends - "Oh, let's combine Blackberry and Cucumber Mint!" or something. I personally wouldn't want somebody else's used bottle, but I would (and do!) re-use my own bottles.

That's the major hurdle to recycling - the vast VAST majority of people want a clean, fresh and clean LOOKING product. For example, in my 8-5 job, I can't re-use boxes - my customers don't want to receive their goods in obviously re-used boxes. Even though they just take out the item and the box gets trashed.

 

[Michele Howie]

Hmm

Advertise that you have a refill program and pump it into their bottle when they bring in their empty one.
Refill price = product only. ( cost of container has already been paid for by the customer the first time)

Body Shop used to do this.

The customer is responsible for their own bottle. Make sure you protect yourself and the right legal " bla bla" is on the receipt. Track the customer's info in your records.
Call it a ..... " customer profile "

 

[ImpKit]

Hmm

Advertise that you have a refill program and pump it into their bottle when they bring in their empty one.
Refill price = product only. ( cost of container has already been paid for by the customer the first time)

Body Shop used to do this.

The customer is responsible for their own bottle. Make sure you protect yourself and the right legal " bla bla" is on the receipt. Track the customer's info in your records.
Call it a ..... " customer profile "

A good lawyer will find an angle from which they can argue that the disclaimer or waiver is not applicable. It opens a small business soap maker up to a lot of litigation risk. Costly, expensive litigation risk that in and of itself can tank their business. The legal fees could bankrupt them. Negative press could taint them even if they win. Overall it's just better for the business to protect itself and not offer a refill program where they, the business, actually refill a provided bottle or container. A refill pack that a customer can tip into their own container? Sure.

 

[earlene]

Or, you could sell the re-fill product in a plastic bag the way milk is sold in plastic bags in some areas. (link)

Then the onus is on the consumer to refill at home. Instructions for proper sterilization of the customer's container could be included with each product sold.