Good Fills is a small business in Central Florida founded by Jennie Lee and Trung Tran. Good Fills aims to reduce waste caused by single-use plastics and disposable containers with a quality, safe, and affordable solution. They offer a wide selection of eco-friendly products and brands that customers can bring their own containers to be refilled or can purchase a container from Good Fills that they can bring back to refill. This is a sustainable solution that helps contribute to building a zero-waste circular economy which helps to eliminate waste while also shopping package-free, buying local products, and supporting brands that care about the environment. See below for a profile on their business and the meaning of sustainability in our Central Florida community!
What made you inspired to create Good Fills here in Central Florida and what keeps you going?
Trung and I met in 2016, and after we got to know each other a bit we ended up taking lots of road trips around the state to explore. It was never a boring drive because we talked about everything, and on one of those trips we talked about the unfortunate amount of plastic litter we would see on the road. We thought about all the nice containers we’d had to throw out, and whether they’re actually getting recycled or just being tossed in the landfill. Instead, we imagined a grocery store where we could refill all our bottles of soaps and detergents. Ultimately, we thought the big manufacturers would never allow this to happen. In 2020, we read about The Refillery in St. Pete and we just had to go check it out. It was an amazing store and showed us that refilling wasn’t just a pipe dream and Orlando needed its own refillery. The next month, we filed the paperwork to establish Good Fills.
What do you love most about your small business in House District 42/Central Florida?
The beautiful thing about Central Florida is how diverse our community is. We have people who come from all over the world to visit or live here, so we get to hear about how other states and countries try to live more sustainably. Having Good Fills in Central Florida sort of feels like a hub where knowledge and ideas are traded. We love connecting with the local community and getting to know our customers up close and personal. We had to overcome many hurdles, but our customers continue to motivate us to keep going. It is always so exciting when we see how many bottles we have refilled and we get great pleasure in talking about sustainability with our community.
What does sustainability mean to you?
To us, sustainability means all 7 billion of us making conscious but imperfect choices to keep our planet clean. Sustainability isn’t something you can simply buy, it has to come from all these seemingly small choices that bubble up into our cultural values.
What are some of your customer’s favorite services/programs from your business?
Funny enough, we’re in our third year of business and sometimes it’s still hard to predict what’s going to be the hot item each week. Some weeks everyone is filling up on dish soap, and the next everyone needs bamboo toilet paper! But in the end, they love that we have over 70 refillable products for anything they might need in or out of the house. Whether you’re someone who always chooses products with amazing scents, someone who enjoys discovering local crafters, someone who needs the most effective all-natural cleaners that are still safe for your family, or someone who looks for bulk volume deals, there’s something for everyone!
What are your personal tips for those who are looking to transition to zero-waste practices?
Take it one step at a time! Tackle the easy changes first and make those a habit. Once it comes naturally for you, think of your next biggest source of waste and come up with a plan for that.
Personally, our first zero-waste practice was carrying water bottles and coffee mugs with us everywhere. Then we thought about what we were throwing out and found we used a lot of paper towels. We skeptically gave Swedish dishcloths a try and now we use them every day!
What are your future goals for expanding your zero-waste initiatives?
Short term, we’re working on expanding our product selection and providing small services like repair consultations and a tool library. We’re also developing an automated refill dispensing system to make refilling faster and more convenient for everyone. It’s going to take more research to keep it sustainable, but we’re also working on shipping and local delivery.
Lastly, how can readers stay up to date with your business and show support in 2024?
You can follow us at instagram.com/goodfillsco, or visit us at our website at www.goodfills.co. We keep updates on markets, new products, events, and so much more. We’ve had great support, but it has been a struggle to keep up with increasing rent and insurance. Sharing us with friends and family (we hope they bathe and do laundry too!), and easing yourself into making more eco-friendly choices is the best way to show support! We attend local markets, as well as have a storefront open Wed -Sun. Come check us out!