From Jul. 6 2024, residents in the west can bring their own bottles to refill their laundry detergent at the new Ecofill machine at The Frontier Community Club in Pioneer.

The machine, deployed by local eco-social enterprise, Ecoworks, is located in between a blue SGRecycle station and a yellow textile recycling bin.

Ecoworks hopes that such an initiative will encourage people to reduce their single-use plastics consumption.

Aside from this one in Pioneer, there are four existing Ecofill stations located at other Housing Development Board (HDB) blocks:

• Blk 40 Cambridge Rd, S210040 (24hrs)
• Blk 6 Farrer Rd, S260006 (24hrs)
• Blk 781B Woodlands Avenue 9, S732781 (24hrs)
• Blk 541 Woodlands Dr 16, S730541 (24 hrs)

One can select either one or two litres per refill, with each litre priced at S$3.

The machine operates 24 hours.

How to use the Ecofill station

Using the Ecofill station for the first time?

Fret not, the refill process has four simple steps, with each numbered step labelled clearly on the machine.

Place bottle into loading bay

Before you make a trip to the Ecofill station, make sure to prepare a clean and dry bottle of at least a litre's capacity.

Open the plastic door and put your empty bottle in the loading bay.

Ensure the mouth of the bottle is aligned with the dispenser's nozzle and close the door.

Select amount of detergent

You may select either one litre or two litres of detergent to be dispensed.

Upon selection, the small screen will reflect the selected detergent quantity and the corresponding price.

A two-litre refill of detergent will cost S$6.

Make payment

Complete your purchase by selecting your desired payment method.

For cash payments, do note that the machine only accepts coins and S$2 notes, and no change will be given.

Press the red button

Once you have completed your payment, the detergent is ready to flow.

Press the red button for the machine to begin dispensing your detergent.

You may also press it again to stop the process.

The refill process will stop automatically once the selected amount of detergent is dispensed.

Voilà, an affordable, fresh bottle of detergent accompanied with a light floral scent.

For reference, the bottle in the image contains one litre of detergent.

Developed their own environmentally friendly detergent

Ecoworks is dedicated to reducing single-use plastic waste with green solutions that promote sustainable living.

"Our mission is to eliminate 10 million plastic bottles annually by deploying automated refill stations for eco-friendly home care and personal care products," stated Ecoworks in a press release.

Without the need to purchase new bottles of detergent, which are more expensive due to packaging costs, the team also believes this will help residents save money.

The detergent dispensed by the machines is also developed by Ecoworks. According to Ecoworks' website, it is biodegradable, plant-based and produced using renewable energy.

You can view the full report on Ecowork's detergent alpha formulation here.

Refill prices may change

Sean Lam, founder of Ecoworks, conveyed to Mothership that the team has a target of deploying 30 to 40 refill stations across Singapore by the end of the year.

The detergent prices will remain at S$3 per litre for now, but Lam shared that "some of our newer locations will likely have slightly higher prices".

While Ecoworks aims to keep prices as low as possible, he anticipated that prices may vary between different locations "depend[ing] on real estate fees".

The public may also anticipate all-in-one refill stations that dispense other types of detergent, such as laundry care, dish washing liquids and floor or surface cleaners, in the near future.

Top photo from Yap Yee Hui