The growth of zero waste shops

The growth of zero waste shops has taken off over the last few years, with more of them opening in the county. The first big zero waste shop in the Midlands was the Clean Kilo in Digbeth, which has since expanded into another shop within the city.

Shoppers take their own tubs or bags along and buy just what they need. Initially the shops only sold dried goods like pasta, nuts, seeds and pulses, but as demand for this type of shopping has increased you can now buy washing up liquid, washing powder, fruit, veg and toiletries in most shops. Often there is a wider choice for vegans and vegetarians.

Zero waste shops or retailers that offer refills of cleaning products/milk/dried goods are as follows:

• Churchfields Farm
• Empty Jars
• Greenlink
• Pack It In – Zero Waste Living
• Pumphouse Environment Centre
• Top Barn Farm

There are also a growing number of businesses that offer all sorts of items that are an alternative to plastic, see useful links.