Covid 19 coronavirus: Lockdown-born cleaning business 'Dazz' aims to wipe out single-use plastic bottles

Brothers Nathan, left, and Jacob Buchan with mother Mary Buchan. Photo / Supplied

Two brothers hope to disrupt the home cleaning industry with a new product that eliminates the need for plastic bottles.

Mt Maunganui-based Nathan and Jacob Buchan have just launched Dazz New Zealand with a line of products they say will make a massive dent in the 1.7 billion bottles New Zealanders throw away every year.

"We were sick of seeing aisles at the supermarket lined with plastic bottles of cleaners used around the home," Jacob Buchan said.

"A lot of them can't be recycled and even the eco-friendly versions still use plastic or create waste."

The brothers researched extensively and found a new product in America that left no waste.

Dazz works by dropping a specially formulated tablet into a bottle of tap water.

Once dissolved, the cleaners, which come in all-purpose, glass and bathroom, work like any other brand.

But without the plastic waste.

"We reckon each household would go through a bottle of general cleaner each month, that adds up to 12 a year and that's not including glass and bathroom cleaner," Buchan said.

"It is a massive amount of plastic and a lot of it can't be recycled."

A starter kit of Dazz with reusable glass bottles and six sachets of cleaner costs $29. Photo / Supplied.

Buchan said even "eco-friendly" products still produced waste and many came in coloured bottles that couldn't be recycled.

"The good thing about Dazz is you can use it in any trigger bottle but we wanted to go step further and found great reusable glass bottles."

"They work really well and look nice as well."

The brothers used the year of lockdowns to find the best quality glass bottles and nozzles and researched protective packaging with the least environmental impact.

They launched their new business in January 2021.

Dazz bottles come minimally packaged in carboard and the tablets in biodegradable wrap. Photo / Dazz Facebook

The home starter kit is posted in a cardboard box with three bottles and six tablets for $29 - additional tablets are $3.

"We wanted to offer the product at a price that people would buy. The bottles are reusable and can last for years and most importantly the product actually works, the reviews are great."

"The tablets are packaged in packets which are 100 per cent biodegradable and great for the compost."

Reviews of Dazz on social media are positive with people impressed with the effectiveness of the product but also the packaging.

Buchan said Dazz was a family affair with himself and brother Nathan co-owners and responsible for marketing and distribution and mother Mary Buchan in charge of marketing.

"We are all incredibly passionate about reducing waste and have been looking at other products," Buchan said.

"We have just been trialling a foaming hand cleaner that works in the same way with a glass bottle and tablet so we are excited about that.

A bacteria-killing disinfectant was also planned.

Buchan hoped Dazz showed New Zealanders they could eliminate plastic bottles from their home.

"As a country, we got rid of single-use plastic bags and I think we can do it with single-use plastic bottles," he said.

"Once you have one eco-friendly product it makes you think about what other waste you can reduce."