Basically, we aim to send nothing to a landfill.

We try to live by the motto of reducing what we need, reuse as much as we can, send as little as possible to be recycled, and compost what we cannot.

It's really about trying to change the system we have come to know and love over the last couple of decades. Over time, we have become accustomed to a world where we take resources from the earth and then dump them in a giant hole in the ground. The goal of zero waste is to move to a new type of world, where eventually waste ending up in landfill is non-existent.

Instead of wasting resources, we create a system where all resources can be put fully back into the system and given a new lease of life.

But isn’t recycling good?

Unfortunately, recycling isn't actually the solution we need. Don’t get us wrong, it definitely is a part of solution. But did you know, only 9% of plastic is actually recycled? Because many plastics are a mix of polymers, they need to be separated and extracted in order to be recycled. This costs money, and sadly most local authorities recycling facilities do not have the funding to do this.

Although recycling is better than simply throwing into a landfill, it is not a closed loop system in as much as a plastic bottle cannot be melted down and made into another plastic bottle exactly the same, unlike glass which can go like to like.

Plastic is melted down into beads and used to create other less robust plastics. The extrusion of plastics is expensive and therefore technically the new end product has cost more than the virgin original plastic.

What about my degradable products?

Degradable
“Relating to a compound that breaks down into simpler compounds by stages. During the degradation of a degradable compound, well-defined intermediate products are created.”

So what on EARTH does that mean?! This simply means that your big degradable carrier bag over time breaks down into millions of small plastic particles. Why’s that bad? Micro-plastics end up in minute forms washing into our water systems, oceans and even lakes. Marine creatures mistake for food and consume them, and because they don’t have the digestive system built for this, they cannot excrete or digest and therefore it stays in their stomach tricking them into thinking they are full and causing starvation. Many people then eat these marine creatures, and end up consume these plastics themselves, without ever knowing it. It’s so widespread, it’s virtually impossible to find animals with no trace of plastics in them.

Who feels a little gross about tiny plastics living inside of us?

Bio-degradable
“Capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms and thereby avoiding pollution.”

Bio-degradable basically means over time, the product will break down as part of a natural process, into virtually nothing. However, this time period can be anything from a few weeks to a few years. It’s a great alternative, but ideally compostable (under the right conditions) is the favoured option as it breaks down in around 180 days.

What about my kerb side food bin? Isn’t that good?

Many of us do our weekly shop with the best intentions of eating all the food we buy. However life and time takes over and the food in the fridge is spoiled before you know it. However, nothing is ever wasted if it can go in the kerb side food bin right?! After all, they collect it for a reason, and have a use for it? Right?

The simple truth is that many local authorities do not have the facilities to harness the methane that is produce by rotting food. This results in food breaking down in landfills, and producing greenhouse gasses which contribute towards global warming. Although we all have busy lifestyles, making time to pop to the shops more frequently to buy food for the next couple of days will drastically reduce the methane problem.

So is all plastic evil?

No, absolutely not.

Plastic is now an integrated component of all of our day to day, and many owe their lives to plastics, such as heart valves. For example, the Dreamliner aeroplane is 50% plastic, making it lighter, thus producing fewer emissions and lowering its carbon footprint.

However, 70% of the plastic EVER produced since the 1950’s is still on the planet today, with the remaining 30% having been burnt, recycled or sitting in our landfill and oceans. Plastic is one of the more durable materials and will literally last for centuries. It therefore makes sense to reuse plastic items such as food containers in their original form, keeping them out of landfill or being reduced by recycling.

We are more than happy for you to bring plastic containers into our shop for filling as it proves it’s one less item in the landfill.

What does a Zero Waste lifestyle encompass?

As before, the idea is to live a lifestyle in which you do not contribute to the waste ending up in landfills, in many different forms.

This embodies everything from shopping smaller and more frequently, to refusing products wrapped in packaging, or products that simply are used once and then end up in landfill, such as clingfilm, single use water bottles, fruit and vegetable packaging, milk bottles and more.

There is much more to the Zero Waste movement, but your first step is being here, on this site, reading and planning your first few small changes.

Our store contains alternatives to many of these problems, allowing you to progress along your Zero Waste journey, in the easiest way possible.

What actually is… ‘Zero Waste’?