About the Founders

Refill Not Landfill founders Christian de Boer & Dean McLachlan named to the AFAR Travel Vanguard

The cofounders of Refill the World have created a plastic-free solution for thirsty travelers.

Christian de Boer has led daily team riverfront cleanups as managing director of the boutique hotel Jaya House since it opened in Siem Reap, Cambodia, three years ago. “It once took hours to pick up the rubbish; now it takes 20 minutes,” he says.

How did this vast improvement come about? And in Cambodia, no less, where garbage collection is unreliable and almost everything—even a banana—comes wrapped in plastic?

Credit goes to Refill the World, a grassroots campaign de Boer launched in partnership with Dean McLachlan, a fellow local hotelier who runs the three-room Meru Asia. The program, which has expanded internationally, aims to reduce the millions of plastic water bottles discarded annually by offering travelers reusable aluminum and stainless steel alternatives and access to refill stations…

See the full article at https://www.afar.com/magazine/Vanguard-2019