Zero waste shopping

So we’ve done plastic free July and the family have easily adapted to the changes we’ve made . As a busy mum of four I need to be able to make small changes that are workable in our lives, no matter how good my intentions are, if it isn’t workable I know we won’t carry it on! Following on from plastic free July we thought we’d like to try do a bit more and one area we have noticed we generate a lot of waste from is our food packaging. Obviously we recycle everything we can but there just seems to be a lot of packaging in the recycling. 

At present we do the majority of our shopping at supermarkets and although they are slowly taking on board the need for less packaging, they have a long way to go. 

Under our new shopping regime I try to do at least one local shop a week for meat, bread, fruit and vegetables. This has reduced packaging on these items as small local shops don’t seem to use as much packaging and I can take my own containers where possible. However, we still need staples such as pasta, flour, cereal etc and essentials like washing  powder or washing up liquid. These all come in disposable packaging, some recyclable some not. 

So what’s the alternative? Well there is a new breed of shops emerging on the high street, weigh your own food. You take your own reusable containers, fill them with the products of your choice, weigh and pay! Sounds easy! We thought we’d try out our very own local shop The Bishy Weigh.

The Bishy Weigh is situated on Bishopthorpe Road, an amazing vibrant street in the suburbs of York. It has a brilliant butchers, a gorgeous cook shop, a stylish deli, an amazing green grocers,  many tasty cafes and now it’s own eco shop in the form of The Bishy Weigh. 

 I headed there with my eldest son as he is keen to ramp up the families green credentials! After a very tasty breakfast at the renowned Pig & Pastry we walked up the street to find the Bishy Weigh. The shop is situated at the opposite end of the high street to the car park and The Pig & Pastry giving us the chance to visit a few of the other shops the street has to offer. We loved the cook shop and deli and were pleased to see M&K butchers opposite Bishy Weigh had re useable containers for sale in case you’d forgotten your own.

Not really  knowing what to expect we took a few  containers, mainly for food. If you go empty handed there are brown paper bags available to weigh your food in. We were both really impressed with the choice of products available and lots of recognisable brands; Suma, Kellogg’s, Wholefoods, Tate and Lyle, Doves Farm and many others. 

The concept is an easy one, you weigh your container, fill with your choice of ingredients, weigh again and get the price. My son really enjoyed choosing his cereal, pasta and chocolate and I was surprised at how reasonable everything seemed. Glass containers and re usable bags were available to buy at the shop, I like the idea of taking our used containers and getting them refilled but the glass is a good alternative . The shop also had household cleaning items and toiletries, we will definitely take containers for these next time. 

I was also really impressed with their gluten free selection, lots of flours, pasta and oats. 

We loved visiting the Bishy Weigh and will definitely be heading back with more containers now we know what products they have to offer. It was a really great way to involve some of the family and they loved doing their  bit to help save the planet.

Kirsty Wilson Close

Instagram  kirsty_in_the_kitchen

Food Styling, Food Writing, Food Lover