'Green Shopping'

Anyone live near Portishead, Somerset?

I have just heard about a shop there run by an enterprising young lady who is trying to do her bit to lessen the amount of stuff going into landfill.

The idea is, you take your own containers to refill from her shop.
The shop sells everything from breakfast cereals to washing up liquid, and nuts to milk.

Do you think it's a good idea? Should more places like this open?
Would you use it if there was one near you?

Re: 'Green Shopping'

Think it's a fabulous idea. Was thinking about this as a concept a few years ago, which I'd evolved into an additional service of people buying measured goods in containers which, if returned would mean they'd get their deposit back (as in the good old days) or, they could hand back in part exchange for a cleaned and refilled container.

Used to see some shops which had large boxes/crates full of some products which you could take your own container to. Tended to be flour, seeds and grains. Am sure that in this day and age, this could be extended.

Re: 'Green Shopping'

I’ve never heard of it but it sounds a good idea, Mups.

Portishead is about 11-12 miles from us.

Re: 'Green Shopping'

Nice idea but I don't think it's a sustainable business model for this particular business. They will end up making a loss.

Re: 'Green Shopping'

It is a good idea - in theory, Dex, but would need to be scrupulously managed - especially in these plague ridden times.

We used to have a couple of them in town - HS&E plus Environmental Health closed them down - reasons =

1. Irresponsible adults allowed their brats to put their hands in the tubs and play with the contents.

2. Irresponsible shop staff topped up half empty tubs with new on top of of old stock.

3. People had to queue twice - once to weigh things and again to pay at the till.

4. People who had over/under estimated what they had put in their containers had to put back/top up - then queue again.

At Christmas time the queues for dried fruit etc., were so long one could not get in to buy anything else.

Re: 'Green Shopping'

No. Mups. We used to have a couple - but they did not last.

Re: 'Green Shopping'

There was one in the village I used to live in problem was the people who ran it were not really committed and you never knew if it would be open...they just opened when they felt like it so I never got into the habit of shopping there regularly.

If there was one locally that was run efficiently yes I would use it.

Re: 'Green Shopping'

Oh I would use something like that, but like others have said.....it would need to be kept SO clean and hygienic. Its a fab idea and I wish her well in her venture

Re: 'Green Shopping'

These kind of shops weren't uncommon back in the day. There was one on my local high street.

Re: 'Green Shopping'

For something like this I hope they don't run it like a pick n' mix. To be successful you'd need to have something like a deli counter with someone working there and filling the containers. Very labour intensive hence can't see such a model taking off unless supermarkets embrace it.

It makes more sense to make packaging more sustainable. What I don't understand is how it's possible to have biodegradable caddy bin liners yet it's not possible to do the same with other packaging, including more use of recycled cardboard too. Is it because such packaging degrades before you have a chance to use the product? Or does it leach into the food?