By Mary Beth Lawlor

Good things come in reduced packaging. Pine Plains is about to be home to Rural Center Refillery, a bulk refill stop
for every day staples – from grind-your-own coffee beans to toothpaste tablets.

“A typical 2.5 gallon refill box of dish soap leads to an 86% plastic reduction as opposed to buying individual bottles. When you take swaps like that over the course of the year, over the course of a town, you get huge results,” shares owners Corey and Nicole Clanahan, Stanford residents for the past seven years, “The aim of Rural Center Refillery is to connect the community with package mindful alternatives, unique brands who value their commitment to sustainability, and to our unified mission to make small steps count.

Through the business, we’re excited to learn more about opportunities in sustainability, whether it be a way to “close the loop” on a particular product by reusing the packaging, or a way to give back to the community through volunteerism. We are so excited to be doing this as a town with our neighbors. Rural Center Refillery opens their doors (a former attorney’s office) to the public at 2881 Church Street on Thursday, March 30.