Like the idea of helping to save marine life and enjoying fresh, non toxic and organic ingredients? We cannot all have failed to see the devastating effects that plastics are having on our marine life – ocean plastics biodegrading in to micro plastic ultimately ending up in the stomachs of birds and other marine wildlife with tragic outcomes. Even though in the UK we have a good record of recycling plastic we still have a long way to go as up to 50% fails to get recycled and ends up in landfill or is incinerated, or alarmingly is shipped to the other side of the globe to end up in landfill!
If we can can stop single use plastic and the packaging that comes with it can we help to reverse these alarming statistics? Do we really want more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050?
Zero Waste supermarkets like the Clean Kilo within the Custard Factory enclave in Birmingham’s Digbeth, are springing up over the UK and the globe. By bringing your own containers to put food, personal care, cleaning and an array of other products into them you are entering in to the ‘circular economy’ thereby keeping the container in use for as long as possible, instead of using virgin plastic every time you consume. Your shopping bill will be reduced as nearly a fifth of a product’s costs are on packaging. You are buying only what you need therefore not ending up wasting product.
So, how does it work?
First we weigh our container and print out a label. Then we go over to the fill stations !
(Slideshow)
Such fun to be had! As you can see there is fresh fruit and veg along with cereals, nuts, seeds, cleaning product, baking products, tea and coffee etc. It really is a lovely experience. We then fill our container with our goods and then go to pay. The products are weighed at the till, minus the weight of the container.
Not to worry if you forget your own container you can use customer donated ones or alternatively there are paper bags for certain items and if you should so desire you can buy re-usable containers. What’s not to like?!
The lovely Jack who works at Clean Kilo – he cycles 18 miles to get to work!
As a guide on prices (correct as of October 2018)
250 g hand soap £1.12 Faith in Nature shampoo 200 ml £2.28
Stainless steel straw £1.80 Non bio laundry liquid 450 ml £2.13
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