Most towns and cities have refill shops now to be more eco-friendly, but they can be a bit intimidating to use if you’ve never been in one before! The whole idea behind them is that you save single use plastic and other packaging, by reusing jars and containers that you already have. You refill these from industrial sized containers of food, drink, and cleaning products, just like everyone used to do 100 years ago. Shops around the country all operate in slightly different ways, but they’re all simple once you get the hang of it, and there are usually friendly members of staff around to help!
Here is a basic guide to get you started!
- Make a list of what you need!
The easiest things to start off with are staple dried products like rice, pasta, and grains. Even the smallest refill shops tend to stock these, so they’re a really good starting point. These are products that aren’t going to cost much either, which is a nice bonus the first time you’re trying it out!
- Find enough containers to take with you
Most shops will sell empty jars and containers to fill if you don’t have any, but the whole idea is to reuse what you have if you possibly can! Gather what you can find into a strong bag to take with you but be mindful of sizes. If you need to buy a kilo of pasta, you’ll something pretty big to keep it in, but if you only need to top up your cinnamon jar, don’t take an enormous container! Let’s get more eco-friendly.
- When you arrive, weigh your containers first
Lots of refill shops have clever machines that weigh your container before you add produce to it, and give you a barcode sticker to put on it representing the container’s ‘before’ weight. Some shops will still use old style weighing scales and other methods, so if you can’t see an obvious way to weigh up, find someone to ask!
- Fill up!
Fill up your jars, pots, and tubs with everything you need! Make sure you use the scoops, tongs, or other utensils provided if you’re buying something that needs picking up. Sometimes household cleaning products and liquids will have a tap that liquid comes out of pretty quickly, so make sure you’ve got two hands to operate it.
- Time to pay
Head to the counter to pay, and make sure you’ve made a mental note of what everything is, as the person ringing up your order will need to know what you’re buying. The chances are, using a refill shop will have saved you a few pennies so you can enjoy saving the planet while saving money!
If you’re looking for ways to be more eco-friendly then check out my other posts.
Violet x
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