BURBANK, Calif. – While most people have heard of reduce, reuse, recycle, there is a growing movement to add a fourth “r” into the mix – REFILL. Environmental entrepreneur Tracy Larson says recycling alone is not going to solve our ongoing plastic problem.

“Recycling is fine but in the U.S. we don’t have a really great infrastructure for recycling and most plastic containers don’t get recycled," Larson said.

While participating in Burbank’s Waste Warrior Program, she started thinking about the products she buys and the containers they come in and she began looking for ways to avoid the pitfalls of packaging.

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“They do have bulk foods in grocery store," said Larson. "There’s grains and beans, things like that.  But not dish soap or laundry soap or my body lotion.”

Enter Lola Danger Refill Service – a company she launched to fill that space. Operating out of local farmers markets, she invites customers to BYOC – as in bring your own container.

“It can be a mason jar, it can be an old shampoo bottle, it can be just about anything," Larson said.

Customers can fill or refill those containers with products like dishwasher gel, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner.  

So far Larson says the response has been positive. She even caught the attention of the Sustainable Burbank Commission.

“I found her because I was looking to refill shampoo, conditioner, dish soap, laundry soap because I don’t want to buy more plastic," said Laura Faye Tenenbaum, commissioner of Sustainable Burbank.

In October, the commission gave Lola Danger the Green Spotlight Award, which recognizes Burbank businesses and residents who are role models for sustainability.

“The best way to keep plastic out of the ocean, out of the landfill is not buy plastic in the first place," Tenenbaum said.

In a way, Lola Danger is Larson's alter ego.  By day, she is a production manager for DreamWorks.  But her weekends are spent defending the planet from plastic one pump at a time.

“I call it my passion project, just a little extra thing in my life," Larson said. "Not necessarily to make money. More just to service my community and help people out.”

She is even connected with other women who are starting similar enterprises. They aren’t competition, she says. They are a community of likeminded entrepreneurs helping each other grow in what she hopes will be the future of retail.

“Someday we would love every farmers market to have a refill station," Larson said. A clear vision for more sustainable shopping.

A list of Lola Danger's upcoming events can be found here.