Plastic-Free July: Week 2
This week, we will be focusing on how you can reduce your plastic footprint when purchasing food products.
Here at The Refill Pantry, we know how difficult it is to find plastic-free food options, especially when looking in supermarkets. Whether you are looking to buy snacks on the go, or restock your fridge and pantry with staples, it can be hard to resist the convenience of a plastic packet of nuts, or a plastic bottle of cooking oil. That’s why The Refill Pantry came into existence! We wanted to provide a way for everyone to buy staple food products with the same convenience as stopping off at a supermarket, but without the plastic waste! This week we will look at four different food products you can purchase at The Refill Pantry, and why they serve as an even better option than supermarket equivalents -they’re all plastic-free! Both on London Road and at Carpenter’s Farm Shop, The Refill Pantry provides a ‘refill’ service for many food products. Simply bring along a container of your own, or purchase one from us upon arrival, and refill your pantry!
1. Refill your bottle of Oil
We stock a range of oils and vinegars, from Rapeseed Oil to Olive Oil to Fig and Date Balsamic Vinegar. Whatever the occasion, we’ve got your back!
Cotswold Gold Rapeseed oil is a fantastic oil for cooking: with a high burning temperature, this oil allows for you to reach higher temperatures in the kitchen without bad consequences!
We also stock Duvichus Olive Oil, which is delicious for dipping, salad dressings or even cooking.
All of these products can be dispensed into your own container. Wash out your old olive oil bottle, and then fill it right back up at The Refill Pantry!
By refilling your container, you are cutting down on plastic waste associated with purchasing a new bottle each time you run out!
Even better news- our Olive, Rapeseed and Sunflower oils all come from suppliers that take back and refill their containers for a perfect Closed Loop system.
2. Your new favourite snack
Crisps are a classic supermarket purchase: whether you’re halfway through the day and need a little pick-me-up, or you’re having friends over for a few drinks, crisps are the perfect snack. However, they come at a cost to the environment: an estimated 16 million packets get thrown away every day. Cut out your plastic waste entirely by purchasing unpackaged crisps from The Refill Pantry!
'Just Crisps’ are delicious, 100% British Crisps made from potatoes and rapeseed oil both produced on their farm in Staffordshire.
These crisps come to us entirely unpackaged: our supplier provides us with a tub of crisps, and we return that container right back to them to refill .
So, by purchasing these crisps from us, you are not only reducing your plastic waste, but you are also contributing to a circular economy.
By using services like these more, we can begin to reduce plastic waste at a larger scale. So for Plastic-Free July, why not try Just Crisps from The Refill Pantry?
3. Try out our delicious pantry staples
Dried goods like pasta, rice, chickpeas and lentils are a necessary aspect of any kitchen pantry. However, they tend to come in thin, unrecyclable plastic packaging, and in set quantities.
Here at The Refill Pantry we offer a service that can resolve this issue! By purchasing these goods packaging free, you can reduce your plastic waste, as well as your food waste.
By having the freedom to choose the quantity you want of each product, you can ensure that you only purchase as much as you need. That way, your food won’t go off before you have time to use it.
Two of our favourite ranges are Hodmedod’s seeds and beans, and Pastificio’s Carleschi pasta! Not only do all their products come to us in paper sacks, but they are all grown and/or produced in the UK. Check out our blog post dedicated to these two wonderful brands. https://www.therefillpantry.co.uk/post/local-sustainable-and-delicious-supporting-british-grown-pulses-pasta-and-quinoa
So, next time you run out of red kidney beans, or you are looking to try a new pasta shape, bring along a box or a bag to The Refill Pantry and fill to your heart’s content!
4. Swap out tea bags for loose leaf
Tea is a necessary part of a classic British diet. Whether it is a cup of breakfast tea in the morning, an Earl Grey during a work break, or a peppermint tea before bed, we know how important tea can be. But did you know that most tea bags contain plastic, and the tea is often lower quality ground up leaves?
Loose leaf teas are often fresher, taste better, and have a tenth of the carbon footprint of tea bags. At The Refill Pantry you can get a range of loose leaf teas from English Breakfast and Green Tea to Chamomile Flowers and Peppermint Leaves without this plastic waste. Try out one of our own Reusable Muslin Tea Bags to make your brewing process just as quick but plastic free!
Check out our blog dedicated to tea here: https://www.therefillpantry.co.uk/post/why-we-should-all-drink-loose-leaf-tea
And those are our highlights for this week’s focus on food! We hope you enjoy our recommendations, and we hope to see you at one of our stores soon.
Sources:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56345661
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50260687
Stock List: (check website for availability)
Oils & Vinegars
Cotswold Gold Rapeseed Oil 100g £0.50
Sunflower Oil (Org) 100g £0.58
Garlic Olive Oil 100g £2.20
Duvichus Olive Oil 100g £1.20
Cyder Vinegar 100g £0.42
Fig & Date Balsamic Vinegar 100g £2.20
Balsamic Vinegar Org 100g £1.06
Bottles
250ml Clear Glass Bottle £2.50
500ml Green Glass Bottle £3.00
Crisps
Just Crisps 100g £1.50
Hodmedod’s
British Chia Seeds 100g £1.35
British Golden Whole Linseeds 100g £0.50
Red Haricot Beans 100g £0.75
Pastificio Wholemeal Spelt Conchiglie (Shells) (Org) 100g £0.64
Loose Tea per 10g
Chamomile Tea £0.76
Decaffeinated Tea £0.65
Earl Grey Blue Flower Tea £0.50
English Breakfast Tea £0.38
Fruitbang! £0.50
Green Sencha Tea (Org) £0.44
Lemon & Ginger Roobois Tea £0.44
Peppermint Leaves £0.44
Roobois Tea (Org) £0.44
Tea Basket £4.00
Tea Strainer £8.00
Reusable Muslin Tea Bag £0.70