Angus shop says goodbye to single-use plastics

ENVIRONMENT: Sea No Waste customers are coming from near and far to ‘green’ Arbroath store

A new Arbroath shop which has said “goodbye” to single-use plastic is off to a flying start.

Sea No Waste sells a massive range of dried food stock in bins, as well as other environmentallyminded products.

Customers have been coming from near and far to visit the Keptie Street store started by Sammy Reid and her husband, Ian, in midSeptember.

Sammy, who used to be a registered nurse in Angus, told Business Matters the green trading vision had struck a chord.

“Plastic pollution has been highlighted so often in the news these past few years,” Sammy said.

“I was also seeing the problem getting out of hand and not being able to shop without a sea of plastic facing you was getting rather depressing.

“I wanted to be able to shop in a way where there were no plastic barriers.

“So I started investigating to see if there were any bulk foods stores nearby, and found none.

“However, I did come across the UK’s first zero-waste store called Earth.Food.Love. in Totnes, Devon.

“It kindly provided a leaflet for anybody to view if they were considering opening a store like it.

“So our journey started from that point to open Sea No Waste.”

Customers can be assured that, when they visit the Arbroath shop, nothing they purchase will end up in landfill or the ocean.

“Any packaging we have is compostable,” Sammy said.

“Sea No Waste takes you back in time to what it used to be like to shop – purchasing what you need, no more no less.

“Customers are encouraged to bring their own containers from home so they are getting re-used.

“Brown paper bags are also provided if no containers are brought.” fully

The shop has already attracted a loyal band of customers, with some coming from far afield to join the green retail revolution.

“The first few weeks have flown by as we have been so busy,” she added.

So will we see Sea No Waste branching out into other locations?

“We have been asked on several occasions to open a store in other towns, which is lovely that people are wanting to shop in this way.

“However, start-up costs would be very large.

“Passion is what we have in abundance and where there is a will, there is a way.

“I would love to open another store in the future, but for now we are focusing on making Sea No Waste Arbroath a success.”

Sammy said government moves to tackle plastic pollution will ultimately reduce the amount of single-use plastics appearing on the shelves of UK retailers.

But she added: “It is important for everyone to voice their opinions on the issue, as the more people that complain about unnecessary single-use plastic, the more we should see a positive impact on our future.”