Good news for those of you who live at Kalibata City Apartments, the social company Qyos is building a refill station for cleaning and body care products. Their vision is to introduce an eco-friendly lifestyle that is compact and affordable.
The accumulation of plastic waste in Indonesia makes it a problem that requires immediate response.
Nowadays, the Government has begun to offer solutions such as DKI Jakarta Governor Regulation Number 142 of 2019 and Semarang Mayor Regulation (Perwal) Number 27 of 2019 which prohibits the use of single-use plastic bags.
However, this solution is not sufficient to solve the problem of plastic product packaging. Intervention of various parties is very important to work together to overcome the problem of plastic waste.
One of them is by providing a station for refilling household products in densely populated areas in order to reduce the production of packaging waste.
This is Qyos’ effort.
The establishment of the Qyos Refill Station
Qyos was founded in 2020 as a digital-based start-up . This business line is part of the Zero Waste Living Lab program built by Enviu. Enviu is a studio that builds various social ventures to address social and environmental problems.
Currently, Qyos provides refill stations for household products located in densely populated strategic areas. This pilot business serves two hundred customers at the Pristine Tower Lotus agent shop, Kalibata City Apartments, South Jakarta.
“Qyos’ idea came from the problem of single-use plastic waste which is the most important problem in Indonesia, as well as the lack of facilities and supporting facilities for people who want to reduce the use of single-use plastics,” said Firda Istania, Associate Venture Builder from Enviu to Greeners, Wednesday, ( 6/1/2021).
For the initial stage, continued Firda, Qyos started from the facility to refill soap and liquid detergent. They also choose products that are popular in the community. Apart from the frequent consumption of people, Qyos starts with the products that have the most potential to produce plastic waste
“The essence of Qyos’ innovation process is to provide access to a lifestyle without waste that is comfortable and affordable for all,” said Firda.
Smart Refill Station: Customers Do Not Need To Touch The Machine
Qyos is the first smart refill station in Indonesia that provides a new zero waste experience . The added value of this start-up company is that the machine is very easy to use, easy to access, and without touch.
Firda claims, Qyos offers convenience and more attractive product prices for users than similar services in conventional bulk stores . This is also supported by an efficient, responsive distribution system, with the support of a smart digital system .
“To build a new habit, we need a concept that is easy to understand and adopt by Indonesians. Refill is a concept that people already understand but are still not familiar with using it for cleaning products, ”explained Firda.
“Our vision is that Qyos is the starting point for people to start the habit of reducing plastic waste in their daily lives,” he continued.
In addition, Qyos also targets densely populated locations, especially in apartment lobbies. The average apartment in Jakarta, continued Firda, produces 600 cubic meters of plastic waste every day.
Not only does it offer convenience with a very close distance from residential areas, this startup also seeks to reduce large amounts of plastic.
This will ease the transition of consumer habits to use plastics responsibly.
Various Refill Products at Qyos
Refill products available at their refill station are dish soap, detergent, bath soap, and hand sanitizer. However, they did not rule out adding more types of products.
“Currently, we are in the process of collaborating with well-known FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) brands to offer a wide variety of products to the public through Qyos. So that the authenticity of the products sold is guaranteed quality and familiar to the public, ”said Firda.
Furthermore, by cooperating with a top FMCG company, Qyos at the same time wants to expand its wings to various regions in the country.
“In the future, Qyos plans to increase the variety of products and brands. These include food and beverage products. The hope is that the various product offers can encourage the transition of society to adopt a new normal lifestyle without waste, “said Firda.
How to Refill Products
If you want to try the sensation of shopping for refillable products at Qyos, here are some steps:
- Bring your own bottle or buy a bottle at a refill station;
- Choose the product you need;
- Place the bottle in the refill machine. The bottle will fill automatically and wait for it to be full;
- Scan the QR Code and make payments using various digital wallets. They are developing this cashless and touchless system for a safer way of shopping due to the pandemic.
Qyos staff who are at the refill station location are always ready to help those of you who are still confused about the product refilling procedure.
Advantages of Using Refill Products
Less than one year since its establishment, the company has secured 422 single-use plastic packages from landfills (TPA) and the ocean. They hope that with Qyos, people will be motivated to start adopting the habit of using reusable products.
Apart from being involved in saving the environment, you also save money. Because their refill products are 25% cheaper than if you buy a new product with a pack.
“Qyos continues to learn and innovate to provide access to a comfortable and affordable lifestyle without waste. Currently, Qyos is focusing on perfecting a convenient refill system for our users, ”explained Firda.
In addition to increasing the number of refill machine locations, he continued, Qyos also immediately used the application so that customers could track purchases, reduce the amount of plastic waste, and also to fill balances.
By having a balance, customers can top up without cash and without touch.
“We want to change people’s perceptions about a sustainable lifestyle. From being complicated and expensive to being easy, cheap, and not only becoming an alternative lifestyle, ”said Firda, optimistically.
Author: Agnes Marpaung
Editor: Ixora Devi
This article was originally published by greeners.co
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