LOCAL detergent company Tidy Up has launched a refill centre at Third Avenue Diamond, as part of its 3R “Reuse, Refill and Reduce” initiative.

The new establishment is unlike any other, said owners, Dwayne and Melissa Younge during an interview with reporters on Saturday.
Their aim is to address the impact of plastic bottles on the environment especially since a plastic bottle could be found in almost every drain across the country.
“Instead of dumping the bottles you could reuse and refill them with liquid detergents that are manufactured locally,” said Dwayne, adding that the liquid detergent refill centre is the first of its kind in the country.

Persons could access eight different products at the centre including dish washing liquid, hand soaps, disinfectants, multipurpose cleaners, fabric softeners, laundry detergents and even car wash detergents.

“One of the things we do is pride ourselves in the quality of the product… we worked hard on providing a quality product that is still affordable,” Melissa said.
She believes that Guyanese should be proud to have a local detergent that works and is affordable.

Aside from the initial business, the centre is a spin off to focus on community development and environmental protection.
Dwayne said they are on a mission to ensure that no plastic bottle finds its way into the drains.

They chose Diamond as the pilot location because it is a development community which should react well to the new business.
“We do not want to limit it to here… the 3R is a franchise and entrepreneurs who want to set up similar centres just have to approach us and we would supply the detergents,” Dwayne explained.

As opposed to the cost of detergents that are found in the supermarket, persons would be able to get a refill for at least 50 per cent less.

Dwayne explained that they were able to make it cheaper because the most expensive components of the manufacturing process, bottles and labels are not needed.
He, however pointed out, that while the centre was a bit costly to establish, they were able to benefit from the Low Carbon Initiative loan from the Small Business Bureau.