She’s got some business bottle
A Su n d e rl a n d bu s i n e s swoman has launched an ecofriendly toiletries company after witnessing the devastating effect of plastics in the world’s oceans.
Helen Wilson, from Roker, has travelled extensively, but it was when visiting South East Asia that the impact of plastics on the ocean really hit home.
“I’ve done a lot of scuba diving in the past 10 years. I took a career break last year and was going back to dive sites I’d been to years before and they were noticeably different, the coral was dead,” she explained.
"When I was in Singapore I was watching the news about the Environment Minister turning away a shipping container of British plastic that was coming in to the port and it made me look more deeply into the issue of recycling.
"In the western world we don’t have the infrastructure to recycle all the plastic we use and much of it ends up being sold to developing countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, as for them it’s a way of buying their way into the global economy. It endsup goingto landfillinplaces like Sri Lanka and gets into
the food chain of the oceans. I was walking onthe beach there in January this year and it was full of plastic.”
Back home, she decided to do something to tackle the problem of plastics and began researching how to create her own business. Inspired by milk rounds which reuse bottles, she set up The Bottle Swap to deliver liquid household cleaning and personal care products in glass and other reusable bottles directly to your door on weekly rounds.
A l l p ro duc t s a re e c o - friendly, vegan, cruelty free and sourced from UK manufacturers and are a more ethical way for consumers to buy everything from shampoo and conditioner to deodorant, de
tergent, sunscreen and washing-up liquid. Customers can also buy plastic-free products, such as compostable sponges, dental floss, straws and wooden toothbrushes.
Helen has already been inundated with orders.
"I received 40 orders in the first three days and was blown away,” she said. "I think in lockdown people started to think more about the products they were buying and the impact that has on the earth.”
Much like a milk bottle delivery, people can leave their empty bottles outside which can be picked up and replaced with their next order.
You can order from The Bottle Swap at www.thebottleswap.com