pub that was bought by the
community to prevent a national
supermarket chain moving in.
The shop was founded by
Robin and Chloe Masefield,
who had both worked in the
environmental sector and have
seen first-hand the damage
done by plastic pollution.
Inspired by Earth.Food.Love
in Totnes, they are equally
passionate about organic living
as they are about zero-waste
living: around 95% of the
food they sell is organic. They
prioritise local products where
possible, selling Welsh-roasted
coffee and local honey alongside
flour that has been grown just
five miles up the road and
ground at a mill 15 miles away.
Much of the stock on their
recycled timber shelves,
including plastic-free toiletries
and household items, is available
to buy via mail order.
“Every week we get new
people coming in to give
zero-waste shopping a go,”
Robin says. “It’s becoming a
lot more normalised now, rather
than a novelty, because there
are so many more shops like
ours opening up in the UK. It
might take people a few months
to remember to bring their
own containers, just like when
supermarkets started charging
for plastic bags. It takes time
to change a habit.”ALSO RECOMMENDED:
Ripple, Cardiff (rippleliving.
co.uk); Viva Organic, Cardiff
(vivaorganic.co.uk); Happy
Planet Green Store, Cardigan
and Narbeth (happyplanet
greenstore.co.uk); Twenty Fifty,
Colwyn Bay (twentyfifty.store).Scope it out
It’s a good idea to visit your
local zero-waste store before
doing your first full-scale
shop, so you’ll know what
it does and doesn’t stock.List and label
It’s tempting to get carried
away by the variety of goods
on offer, but the whole point
of zero-waste shopping is to
reduce waste. Menu planning
and list-making will ensure
that you’ll only dispense what
you need. Most dried goods
have a best-before date
of three months, so it’s
wise to label your container
with the day of purchase.Gather your containers
They don’t have to be new
and they don’t have to bebeautiful. Plastic is fine – the
important thing is that you
are reusing it. See-through
containers are easier to
fill than opaque ones and
anything that you spill will
be wasted (and create extra
work for the shopkeeper).
Most zero-waste shops will
sell you compostable paper
bags, although bear in mind
that these have their own
carbon footprint.Carry with care
Unless your zero-waste shop
has car parking, bear in mind
that you’ll have to haul your
shopping home once you’re
done. Stackable, leakproof
containers that fit neatly into
comfortable carriers are best.
We think the trolley shopper
is due a resurgence.Take your time
Zero-waste shopping is
slow shopping: Instead of
an online visit or the
impersonal speed of the
supermarket, where you’re
more likely to interact with
a self-scanner than an actual
human cashier, the zero-
waste shop invites you to
swap cooking advice and
lifestyle tips with shopkeepers
and fellow filler-uppers.Zero-waste shopping for all
How to minimise packaging waste, wherever you shop
THE HIGH STREET
Independent delis, bakeries, greengrocers,
butchers, fishmongers and cheese shops
are less likely to wrap their products in
plastic than supermarkets. If you want to
use your own containers instead of their
paper bags or waxed paper, it doesn’t hurt
to ask. Shopping little and often is the
best way to avoid packaging: the plastic
wrapping used on supermarket veg serves
the valid purpose of extending shelf life.SUPERMARKETS
Following the trial of a refill station offering
44 dried products in one of its Southampton
stores, Marks & Spencer is extending the
scheme to a second store in Manchester city
centre after three-quarters of its customers
said they wanted to reduce their packaging.
Waitrose is also trialling refill stations
at stores in Oxfordshire and Cheltenham,
while Asda will open its first refill pointin Leeds in May. Booths stores in the north
west of England encourage customers to
bring their own lidded containers to its
fresh meat and fish counters.BOX SCHEMES
Fruit and vegetable delivery schemes are
a great way to banish bagged salads and
shrink-wrapped veggies from your fridge.
Both Riverford (riverford.co.uk) and Abel
& Cole (abelandcole.co.uk) offer plastic-
free veg boxes with not even a rubber
band in sight, or Google your nearest
scheme to cut down on food miles.ZERO WASTE ONLINE
Some of the zero-waste stores listed offer
online shopping, so it’s worth a check
if you can’t get there in person. Online
zero-waste stores include plasticfreedom.
co.uk, kickplastic.co.uk, plasticfreepantry.
co.uk and anythingbutplastic.co.uk.HOW TO ZERO-WASTE SHOP
Natural Weighpub that was bought by the
community to prevent a national
supermarket chain moving in.
The shop was founded by
Robin and Chloe Masefield,
who had both worked in the
environmental sector and have
seen first-hand the damage
done by plastic pollution.
Inspired by Earth.Food.Love
in Totnes, they are equally
passionate about organic living
as they are about zero-waste
living: around 95% of the
food they sell is organic. They
prioritise local products where
possible, selling Welsh-roasted
coffee and local honey alongside
flour that has been grown just
five miles up the road and
ground at a mill 15 miles away.
Much of the stock on their
recycled timber shelves,
including plastic-free toiletries
and household items, is available
to buy via mail order.
“Every week we get new
people coming in to give
zero-waste shopping a go,”
Robin says. “It’s becoming a
lot more normalised now, rather
than a novelty, because there
are so many more shops like
ours opening up in the UK. It
might take people a few months
to remember to bring their
own containers, just like when
supermarkets started charging
for plastic bags. It takes time
to change a habit.”
ALSO RECOMMENDED:
Ripple, Cardiff (rippleliving.
co.uk); Viva Organic, Cardiff
(vivaorganic.co.uk); Happy
Planet Green Store, Cardigan
and Narbeth (happyplanet
greenstore.co.uk); Twenty Fifty,
Colwyn Bay (twentyfifty.store).
Scope it out
It’s a good idea to visit your
local zero-waste store before
doing your first full-scale
shop, so you’ll know what
it does and doesn’t stock.List and label
It’s tempting to get carried
away by the variety of goods
on offer, but the whole point
of zero-waste shopping is to
reduce waste. Menu planning
and list-making will ensure
that you’ll only dispense what
you need. Most dried goods
have a best-before date
of three months, so it’s
wise to label your container
with the day of purchase.Gather your containers
They don’t have to be new
and they don’t have to bebeautiful. Plastic is fine – the
important thing is that you
are reusing it. See-through
containers are easier to
fill than opaque ones and
anything that you spill will
be wasted (and create extra
work for the shopkeeper).
Most zero-waste shops will
sell you compostable paper
bags, although bear in mind
that these have their own
carbon footprint.Carry with care
Unless your zero-waste shop
has car parking, bear in mind
that you’ll have to haul your
shopping home once you’re
done. Stackable, leakproof
containers that fit neatly into
comfortable carriers are best.
We think the trolley shopper
is due a resurgence.Take your time
Zero-waste shopping is
slow shopping: Instead of
an online visit or the
impersonal speed of the
supermarket, where you’re
more likely to interact with
a self-scanner than an actual
human cashier, the zero-
waste shop invites you to
swap cooking advice and
lifestyle tips with shopkeepers
and fellow filler-uppers.Zero-waste shopping for all
How to minimise packaging waste, wherever you shop
THE HIGH STREET
Independent delis, bakeries, greengrocers,
butchers, fishmongers and cheese shops
are less likely to wrap their products in
plastic than supermarkets. If you want to
use your own containers instead of their
paper bags or waxed paper, it doesn’t hurt
to ask. Shopping little and often is the
best way to avoid packaging: the plastic
wrapping used on supermarket veg serves
the valid purpose of extending shelf life.SUPERMARKETS
Following the trial of a refill station offering
44 dried products in one of its Southampton
stores, Marks & Spencer is extending the
scheme to a second store in Manchester city
centre after three-quarters of its customers
said they wanted to reduce their packaging.
Waitrose is also trialling refill stations
at stores in Oxfordshire and Cheltenham,
while Asda will open its first refill pointin Leeds in May. Booths stores in the north
west of England encourage customers to
bring their own lidded containers to its
fresh meat and fish counters.BOX SCHEMES
Fruit and vegetable delivery schemes are
a great way to banish bagged salads and
shrink-wrapped veggies from your fridge.
Both Riverford (riverford.co.uk) and Abel
& Cole (abelandcole.co.uk) offer plastic-
free veg boxes with not even a rubber
band in sight, or Google your nearest
scheme to cut down on food miles.ZERO WASTE ONLINE
Some of the zero-waste stores listed offer
online shopping, so it’s worth a check
if you can’t get there in person. Online
zero-waste stores include plasticfreedom.
co.uk, kickplastic.co.uk, plasticfreepantry.
co.uk and anythingbutplastic.co.uk.HOW TO ZERO-WASTE SHOP
Natural Weigh