By Wendella Davidson

THE passion of a husband and wife team for the environment and to help in the campaign to ban single-use plastics has led them to open Guyana’s first detergent refill business, which they started in March 2018.

Some 20 months later, Dwayne and Melissa Younge who manage the locally-branded Tidy Up Detergent Refill Centre at Complex Mall, Third Avenue, Diamond, East Bank of Demerara, (EBD), are basking in the success that in addition to the main distribution centre, they have been able to help some eight other persons to open their own businesses and become franchise distributors.

The relatively young entrepreneurs are located in Plaisance and Cummings Lodge on the East Coast of Demerara; on the Essequibo Coast, Parfaite Harmonie and Bella Dam, West Bank Demerara; Leonora, West Coast Demerara; and Wortmanville and Sophia. Meanwhile, his business is receiving good support from the Diamond community and its environs.
Speaking with the Pepperpot Magazine, Dwayne said while he would like to see more persons grasp an understanding into the concept behind the business, he is nevertheless thankful to see the success it has had so far, as he seeks to help rid the community of plastic. To this end, he is urging private sector business, government ministries, corporation and janitorial services among others, to sample his products.

Alluding to the slogan of the business, `It makes “cents” to refill’, and the 3R goal – recycling, reduction and the reuse of resources, he explained what it all means is that households and businesses can refill their empty plastic bottles with any of the eight liquid detergents – dishwashing, hand soaps, disinfectants, multipurpose cleaners, fabric softener, laundry detergents, degreaser and washing detergents for cars, that are available for a fraction of the cost for a new bottle. Any of the detergents can be had in either small or large quantities, with prices ranging from as low as $100 and $200.

Dwayne noted his disgust in seeing as a common sight, plastic bottles and other plastic receptacles that have been wantonly discarded, floating in the country’s waterways and around the mouth of kokers, especially during flooding and hampering the free flow of water.

Reiterating that the initiative stemmed from an overwhelming call in Guyana and by extension the world, for all-out efforts to reduce the use of single plastics that ultimately end up in the country’s waterway causing blocked drains, canals and kokers, Dwayne said he realised that some of the bottles can be reused
The business evolved with Melissa, dubbed the mix mistress or the chemist of the initiative, in the kitchen and laundry room of their home, using a bucket and paddle, with several trials and errors, before arriving at what they thought is a perfect solution that would appeal to the public.

They were cognizant, though that whatever product is produced would have to compete heavily with the international products already on the shelves, hence the products at all times need to be top notch.

Dwayne said one of the biggest challenge facing this country is the impact plastic bottles have in our community, noting that it takes about 450 years for a single plastic bottle to be degraded into our environment.

Reminding of the plans by the government to gradually phase out the use of single-use plastic containers by 2021, Dwayne posits that such a move would see Guyana being on par with several countries that have already implemented similar initiatives.