EcoLux☆Lifestyle: Drinkfill & Soapstand Bring Zero-Waste Living to YVR

Many of us dream of a zero-waste, package-free existence, where we buy all of our household soaps at the bulk store and bring our own coffee mugs to the café. It sounds wonderful in theory, but in practice, who has the time or the money to spend implementing these labour-intensive habits? Enter Drinkfill and Soapstand zero contact refill stations!

Thirty-one-year old Vancouver entrepreneur Andy Chou is on a mission to make zero-waste living easy and accessible to everyone with his global network of Drinkfill and Soapstand zero-waste refill stations.

 

Keeping It Local, and COVID-19 Safe

Designed and manufactured in Vancouver, the stations dispense refreshing locally supplied beverages such as Oddity Kombucha and cold brew coffee, and household soaps such as dish detergent, shampoo and even hand sanitizer, directly into customers own refillable containers. Both Drinkfill and Soapstand require zero human-to-human contact, making them an ideal shopping solution in COVID-19 times.

Where to Find Your ‘Fill’

There are already three Drinkfill pilot stations located at UBC and Langara College, and in Gastown. And Chou is in talks with partners around the globe—shopping malls, office spaces, airports and other public spaces—to become leaders in the zero-waste movement by installing Drinkfill stations in their lobbies and gathering areas.

Soapstand machines can be purchased by entrepreneurs, soap manufacturers or soap retailers who want to provide a convenient package-free shopping experience for their customers.

“The vision is for Drinkfill and Soapstand stations to have a presence globally, and in every major city, within the next 10 years. This means hundreds of stations installed in public spaces within each city,” says Chou.

Who said zero-waste living had to be hard? Look for a Drinkfill and Soapstand station near you in the coming months and reduce the amount of plastic and packaging you buy.

After customers have filled their growler with kombucha from a Drinkfill machine, they can go ahead and use some to make this refreshing cocktail.

Endless Summer Kombucha Cocktail

Ingredients:

1½ ounces vodka or Seedlips

2 teaspoons simple syrup

3 ounces ginger-flavored kombucha

¾ ounce fresh lime juice

Lime wedge

Method:

Place ice in a glass, then add vodka/Seedlips, lime juice, and simple syrup, stirring to combine. Pour in kombucha and garnish with a lime wedge.