A refill lets you keep the bottle, pump or trigger spray you already own and top it up from a bigger pack, so you buy less each time you restock and pay less per litre. Here at Grounded each refill can save you 10-25% per refill.

Grounded uses 100% post consumer recycled plastic or paper, made and sourced in Kenya for 75% of our product array, and glass for 14% of our products.

All of our products are intended to be refilled. Why? Using refills helps ensure that you send fewer unrecyclable parts to Kenyan landfills. For example, that 500ml trigger spray top? That part is impossible to recycle, but the 500ml base, or 1L or 5L refills in 100% recycled plastic are far easier to recycle.

This guide explains how refilling works, why you keep the top and refill the base, how much you can save, where to take your empty packs, and which refills you can buy today.

What is a refill?

It’s simple: You buy your first bottle once, in glass or recycled plastic, with its pump, trigger spray or foaming top. When it runs low, you top it up from a refill size (1L, 5L or even 25L) instead of buying a whole new bottle.

The product is the one you already use. What changes is how much packaging you buy.

Why do refills mean less plastic?

In Kenya, most of our products do not come in recyclable, refillable packaging designed to be used again not just once.

Not at Grounded! Our plastic packaging is intended to be refilled, with refill packs returned to Grounded or taken to designated recycling depots, including our own and Mr. Green Africa.

Grounded plastic refill packaging is made from 100% HDPE plastic or paper packaging - which is recyclable and reusable.

Let’s be honest: a 5L jerrycan contains more plastic than a 500ml bottle, so the benefit of refilling isn’t simply that one pack is smaller than another. It’s about reducing the need to repeatedly buy and dispose of new packaging.

The top is the tricky part. Trigger sprays, foaming pumps and other dispensers can be difficult or impossible to recycle, and they make up a larger share of packaging costs than you might expect. Reusing these components and returning packaging through the right channels helps keep plastic in circulation rather than sending it to a Kenyan landfill.

This matters because packaging is a major contributor to the plastic problem. The UN Environment Programme reports that around 36% of all plastic produced goes into packaging, and that about half of all plastic is designed to be used once and then thrown away (UNEP factsheet).

Our 5Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Refill, Recycle, Repair

Refilling is one step in a bigger loop. Here is how we think about it:

1. Reduce: our products are concentrated, so there is less packaging overall. One litre of our Pure Kenyan Castile Soap makes up to 33 soapy buckets.
2. Reuse: our products are safe, so unlike old-school harsh chemicals, you can give an empty jerrycan a second life. Use it to water your plants, or cut it in half to make a sweeping pail.
3. Refill: top up your bottle from a bigger pack to save money, then dispose of the empty refill container properly.
4. Recycle: take empty packs to a proper depot, so the plastic comes back round as new packaging.
5. Repair: do not toss the whole bottle if only the top or pump has given up. Replacement bottles and foaming tops are on our Empty Packaging page.

Do refills save money?

Yes, and the bigger the refill, the more you save.

Buying a bigger pack also means fewer top-up shops. It suits households and workplaces that go through a product quickly. If you use a product slowly, or you have little storage space, a smaller size may suit you better. Think about the monthly shop. Swap even a few of your regular products to refill sizes and the savings quietly stack up.

Which Grounded products come in a refill size?

Almost all of them. The Grounded website is the one stop shop for all our refill sizes. You will find refill sizes across our home care and personal care ranges. Here are some examples:

Product	Size	Price (KSh)	% savings
Toilet Cleaner	750ml bottle	999
	5L refill	4,500	32%
	25L refill	20,750	38%
Foaming Hand Soap (Tea Tree + Clove)	500ml bottle	1,099
	1L refill	1,500	32%
	5L refill	6,000	45%
Pure Kenyan Castile Soap (Lemongrass)	1L	1,100
	5L refill	4,725	14%
	25L refill	22,000	20%

How to refill in three easy steps

• Keep your original bottle and its top. Wash the bottle out if you like, and keep the pump, trigger spray or cap.
• Pour carefully. Use a funnel if you have one, and top up from your refill pack.
• Shake or swirl gently and use as normal. That's it. No fuss, no waste.

Tip: keep your refill pack somewhere cool and dry. Do not mix different products or scents in one bottle.

Small switch, big difference

Where do I take the empty refill pack?

When the refill pack is empty, please don't bin it. Our plastic is made to be refilled and then come back, so you have four easy options:

• Drop it at one of our designated recycling stations:
  • Langata Link
  • Shamba Cafe (Loresho)
  • ECANDI (Rosslyn).
• Hand it to our delivery driver on your next order.
• Return via Greenspoon van deliveries
• Take it to a designated Mr. Green Africa (MGA) depot at participating Total stations around Nairobi

Want to refill straight from the tap?

We have dedicated bulk refill stations at:

• Shamba Cafe (Loresho)
• Langata Link
• ECANDI (Rosslyn)
• Revitabliss (Kilifi)

That being said, we make a lot of products, so refill stations will only hold a selection of items. Contact us for more information about what is stocked where!!

Small switch, big difference. You don't need to change everything overnight. Start with one product you use every day, and see how easy it feels. Once the habit sticks, you'll wonder why you ever bought a new bottle every time.

What are the new 1L Hand Wash Gel and Body Wash Gel refills?

We have launched two new 1L refill sizes: Hand Wash Gel and Body Wash Gel. These are products many households use every day, which makes them an easy place to start refilling, and a cheaper one.

The idea is simple. You buy your Hand Wash Gel or Body Wash Gel once in a glass or plastic bottle with a pump. When it runs low, you top it up from the same 1L refill instead of buying another bottle and pump, and when the refill pack is empty you dispose of it properly (see where to take it above).

Here is what that saves, comparing the 500ml bottle with the 1L refill

• Hand Wash Gel: KSh 1,299 for 300ml versus KSh 645 per 300ml refill when you buy 1L. Save over 50% per refill!.
• Body Wash Gel: KSh 1,499 for 500ml versus Ksh 1,126 per 600ml refill when you buy 1L. Save over 25% per refill.

The 1L size suits busy households, families with children and small offices where the soap runs out quickly. Global Handwashing Day on 15 October is a good reminder to check that every sink at home and at work has a full bottle.