Supermarkets & Chainstores Index

13 September 2016 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.2 Shops & Businesses, 3.2.3 Supermarkets & Chains

And let me say right now I don’t like supermarkets. They are killing off the local shops and take money out of the community. But for many people they are the only option. So how to make your experience as ethical as possible?

But before you enter those hellish portals please do consider shopping at your local shops. Reasons why here.

Here are some suggestions to make your choice of chainstore shopping more ethical.

I prefer to shop in British owned chainstores if possible. These are my favourites

The Co-op in the UK
Waitrose is owned by staff in the John Lewis Partnership
Will Use Tesco plc, trading as Tesco, is a British multinational groceries

But sometimes of course I have to go where the plastic free products can be found. Like salt in a cardboard box at Lidles. Its always a tradeoff.

Plastic Free News

Waitrose
Waitrose are cutting the use of plastic lined disposable cups in their cafes!
“We’re removing all disposable takeaway cups from our shops by the autumn.You can still enjoy a free cup of tea or coffee when you shop with us; remember to bring your own reusable cup and your myWaitrose card with you.#KeepYourCup 💚
This will save more than 52 million cups, 221 tonnes of plastic and more than 665 tonnes of paper a year.
Find out more: https://bit.ly/2Jwh0d2

The Co-op
Talking of hot drinks the The Co-op are meat to be introducing their own plastic free teabags . Though I have yet to find them!
For those of you who didn’t know, most teabags contain plastic. not just the packaging but actually in the bag.

Morrisons
Starting in May, Morrisons will be inviting customers to use their own containers when purchasing produce from the meat and fish counters in stores, in order to cut down on single-use plastic. Read more here.

Plastic Free Finds

Sometimes supermarkets can surprise you – check out the plastic-free and reduced packaging products here.

Boots

About ? Latest Plastic News ? They have a range of plastic free products. Other Products From Louises database BecoThings Potty ...
Read More

Cooperative Supermarket

Plastic free teabags For those of you who didn't know, most teabags contain plastic. not just the packaging but actually ...
Read More

Lidles

Lidles is a chain of budget supermarkets. It offers some plastic free surprises. (Click the links to see a review ...
Read More

Lush plastic free products

lush are one of the more forward thinking British companies. They are ethical in all kinds of ways and sell ...
Read More

Morrisons

A quick overview of some of the plastic free / reduced stuff you can get in Morrisons Supermarket, Huddersfield. A ...
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Tescos

I have one near me so I tend to visit more often then I think is ideal. here are some ...
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The Range – a chain of home & garden shops

Loose pet food, home wares and some loose sweets. Being committed to local shopping, I prefer to buy that way ...
Read More

U.K. Owned Chainstores

And let me say right now I'm not overly keen on chainstores. They are killing off the local shops and ...
Read More

Waitrose

Waitrose are cutting the use of plastic lined disposable cups in their cafes! "We're removing all disposable takeaway cups from ...
Read More

Whole Food Market U.K. Chain

Rushing through the Cheltenham suburbs, had to buy wine so lurched into the huge carpark of an out of town ...
Read More

Wilkos

Did you know you can buy loose screw and other fixings at Wilcos - as many or as few as ...
Read More

My Favourite Chains Are…

The Co-op in the UK is owned by it’s members. That’s you. So do use that whenever possible. Sadly they are bad for packaging. Write and tell them.

Waitrose is owned by staff in the John Lewis Partnership and do some excellent plastic free buns and bread.

Will Use

Tesco plc, trading as Tesco, is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer with headquarters in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom.[3] It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by profits[4][5] and ninth-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues. It has shops in seven countries across Asia and Europe and is the market leader of groceries in the UK (where it has a market share of around 28.4%),
Wikipedia

Not so keen on

ASDA

Asda Stores is a British supermarket retailer, “headquartered in Leeds, West Yorkshire.[5] The company was founded in 1949 when the supermarket owning Asquith family merged with the Associated Dairies company of Yorkshire. It expanded into the south of England during the 1970s and 1980s, and acquired Allied Carpets, 61 large Gateway Supermarkets and other businesses, such as MFI, then sold off its acquisitions during the 1990s to concentrate on the supermarkets. It became a subsidiary of the American retail giant Walmart after a £6.7 billion takeover in July 1999” wikkipedia

While Sainsburys is a British company
“As of February 2018, the largest overall shareholder is the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar, the Qatar Investment Authority, which holds 21.99% of the company.^[6] It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
In April 2018, Sainsbury’s entered talks with Walmart about a proposed merger with Asda, which could form the largest UK supermarket company.^[7]^”
“The Qatar Investment Authority is Qatar’s state-owned holding company that can be characterized as a National Wealth Fund. It specializes in domestic and foreign investment. Wikipedia” and Walmart? No thanks. So while I might be able to get paper wrapped butter at Sainsbury’s (check out the cheese counter), Im not sure I like their politics.

Morrison plc are listed on the London stock exchange. Whilst the majority of investors are British or British companies or pension funds, these investments can be held by anyone around the world.

Plasticfree Finds

But sometimes of course i have to go where the plastic free products can be found. Like salt in a cardboard box at Lidles. Its always a tradeoff. See all our supermarket posts here

The biggest supermarket chains in the UK, by market share are:
Tesco (27.8%)
Sainsbury’s (15.8%)
Asda (15.3%) American
Morrisons (10.4%)
Aldi (7%) german owned
Co-op (6.3%) owned by its U.K. members
Lidl (5.2%) german owned
Waitrose (5.1%)
Iceland (2.1%)
Ocado (1.4%)
from the bbc

If you want to buy from a British chain company, I have listed some HERE

Widely Available At Most Supermarkets

Bread Mixes – Paper
Laundry Powder – Cardboard, no scoop
Fruit and Vegetables – Bulk, take your own bags
Instore Butcher, Deli, Fish Counters and Bakery- Bulk, take bags and containers
Flour, Sugar, Eggs and Oats – Almost always available in paper or card
Frozen Produce in Cardboard – Linda McCartney, Fish (MSC), Potato Waffles Shake box to check there’s no plastic inside

The Rest

Hooray for Louise Bayfield and her “POSTIVE PRODUCTS LIST (UK) a list of High Street and Supermar-ket products that have no packaging or in some way help reduce packaging.”

The List
The original PDF will be updated as Louise shops around so do check back there for updates.

Remember not all stores stock all products. It might be wise to check ahead if you are making a special visit.
There may well be other products that have not been listed.
Feel free to add your finds in the comments box belew.

Once again thank you Louise for such a fantastic resource!

Homesence

Castile Soap, Larger bottles – Packaging varies but mostly plastic
Shampoo/conditioner/shower gel/ Bath – Very large bottles, sometimes organic and glass packaging
Soap Bars, sometimes organic- Beautifully wrapped in paper/card – Good gifts
Candles – Often votives in glass or metal tins with no packaging or cardboard box
Glassware – Recycled water glasses and sometimes goblets, No packaging other than a small sticker to base.
Many home items are unpackaged other than a price sticker. Some items are surplus. A good place to look for
Zero Waste Kitchenalia – Glass Jars, Stainless Steel Water Bottles, Insulated Travel Mugs, Tea strainers/Infusers,
Reusable Silicone Bakeware, Wooden Brushes, Scrubbers, Coffee presses, Wooden Boards, Wooden Bowls etc…
Some will be in cardboard or unpackaged with sticker.

Ikea

Crisp breads – Paper
Kilner style Jars – Good value – Paper and sticker
Loose sweets pick & mix stall with paper bags

Ocado

Cake Mix, Wright’s – Paper
You cleaner refills – A concentrated eco cleaner in small plastic bottles

Poundland

Selection of glass kilner style jars – great for those on a budget
String

Robert Dyas

Borax Substitute, Dri-pac – Cardboard

Staples

Toilet Tissue, Maxima – 100% recycled – Large cardboard box, no inner tubes
Toilet Rolls, 8 pack – 100% recycled – Plastic wrap, recycle at Sainsbury’s
Envelopes, various sizes, business size bulk packs – 100% recycled – Cardboard box
Tea and Coffee – Huge catering size packs, various packaging, shake box to check there’s no plastic inside

T.K. Max

A write up here from Liz Hodge.

Missed Some?

If you have a review of a supermarket please send us a link and we will add it. Leave the link in the comments below.

Which Chain

Here are a few tips to help you choose a supermarket. Some are more ethical than others. or you might want to buy from a British company. Read more HERE>

Shopping Tips

If you want to buy loose, you will need to take your own reusable packaging – produce bags, tupperware even compostable disposables. You can find them here.
The plastic free freak should remember that
metal lids to glass jars are of course plastic lined .
Tin and cans including those for cosmetics are also plastic lined
Paper and foil wraps will be plastic lined.

Choose Well
If you really can’t do without it and you have a choice a plastic wrapped products, choose to buy the one in simple plastics that can easily be recycled

More Ways To Buy Food

Here is a list of food types category with purchase details
Loose Food
Find out if a shop near you sells bulk food loose. This is stuff that that normally comes plastic packaged. A list of towns with shops selling loose food.

Milk
Delivered in glass bottles but double check before you order

Other Considerations

Whole food Market A supermarket case study
How to eat plastic free Buying only from supermarkets HERE.

Buy British and cut those air miles. Some ideas HERE

N.B.

lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

Waitrose

1 April 2016 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.2.3 Supermarkets & Chains Tagged 5 Content Veiw

Waitrose are cutting the use of plastic lined disposable cups in their cafes!
“We’re removing all disposable takeaway cups from our shops by the autumn.You can still enjoy a free cup of tea or coffee when you shop with us; remember to bring your own reusable cup and your myWaitrose card with you.#KeepYourCup
This will save more than 52 million cups, 221 tonnes of plastic and more than 665 tonnes of paper a year.
Find out more: HERE

They also have the a range of plastic free products. Find them in our facebook gallery here

Other Products

From Louises database

Bakery, rolls, cakes, fancy cakes and childrens decorated biscuits – Bulk

Borax Substitute, Dri-pac – Cardboard – Larger stores only
Bread Mix, good selection – Paper
Cat Litter, Waitrose wood pellets – Recycled wood and paper packaging
Coconut Oil, Groovy Food, Organic – Glass Metal
Coffee – Free with my Waitrose card – Take own cup
Dishwasher Powder – Cardboard
Fish Fingers, Birds Eye 30 MSC – Big pack to save on packaging – Cardboard
Juice Bar – Could ask for a refill ? – Not available in all stores
Neal’s Yard Products – Glass can be returned to Neal’s Yard shops for refund
Naty Nature Care Nappies – Biodegradable
Oats – Flahavan’s, Mornflake, Quaker – Paper and cardboard
Soap Bars – Including organic – Paper and Cardboard
Toilet Rolls, 9 pack, 100% recycled – Plastic wrap (recycle at Sainsbury’s)
Vinegar, Sarson’s distilled White 568ml – Glass Bottle
YOU cleaner refills – A concentrated eco cleaner refill in plastic

Louises Data Base?
Louise Bayfields “POSTIVE PRODUCTS LIST (UK) a list of High Street and Supermar-ket products that have no packaging or in some way help reduce packaging.”

The List
The original PDF will be updated as Louise shops around so do check back there for updates.
Remember not all stores stock all products. It might be wise to check ahead if you are making a special visit.
Once again thank you Louise for such a fantastic resource!

Shopping Tips

If you want to buy loose, you will need to take your own reusable packaging – produce bags, tupperware even compostable disposables. You can find them here.

Sneaky Plastics

The plastic free freak should remember that
metal lids to glass jars are of course plastic lined .
Tin and cans including those for cosmetics are also plastic lined
Paper and foil wraps will be plastic lined.
Find other sneaky plastics here….

Choose Well
If you really can’t do without it and you have a choice a plastic wrapped products, choose to buy the one in simple plastics that can easily be recycled

see all our supermarket info HERE.
Find out more about the individual products here via the food index
Other places to buy unpackaged food are listed here

N.B.

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project.

Sainsburys

16 February 2016 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.2.3 Supermarkets & Chains 2 Comments

About Sainsburys

While Sainsburys was a British company
“As of February 2018, the largest overall shareholder is the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar, the Qatar Investment Authority, which holds 21.99% of the company.^[6] It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
In April 2018, Sainsbury’s entered talks with Walmart about a proposed merger with Asda, which could form the largest UK supermarket company.^[7]^”
“The Qatar Investment Authority is Qatar’s state-owned holding company that can be characterized as a National Wealth Fund. It specializes in domestic and foreign investment. Wikipedia” and Walmart? No thanks. So while I might be able to get paper wrapped butter at Sainsbury’s (check out the cheese counter), Im not sure I like their politics.

The Ethics Of Shopping

For more information on how to shop, why local and all about chainstores can be found here

However they do do

Butter, farmhouse, located near deli – Paper
Dishwash powder in a cardboard box

Other Products

From Louises database
Baking Powder, sachets – Paper and cardboard
Bicarbonate of Soda, sachets – Can anyone confirm packaging?
Berries, Frozen Basics – Plastic bag only – Return to store
Cake Mix, Wright’s – Paper
Cat Litter, Bio catolet – Litter and packaging have green credentials
Dishwasher Powder – Cardboard with small metal pourer – Works well in smaller quantities
Ecover Washing Powder – Large boxes – Cardboard
Fish Fingers, Birds Eye 30 MSC – Big pack to save on packaging – Cardboard
Lasagne Sheets, Basics – Windowless Cardboard
Naty Nature Care Nappies – Biodegradable
Oats, Quaker and Flahavan’s – Cardboard /
Pizza Bar – Larger Stores – Has anyone brought one unwrapped yet?
Double Edge Razor Blades 10’s– Cardboard and small plastic cover
Soap Bars, various including organic – Cardboard
Spaghetti 3kg – Plastic – Can be brought back to store for recycling
Toilet Paper, 100% recycled, 6 space saving rolls – Plastic wrap can be recycled in store
Vinegar, Sarson’s distilled White 568ml – Glass bottle, plastic cap
Washing Powder, Own Brand – Cardboard – no plastic scoop

Plastic bag recycling bins in store entrance – Sainsbury’s products with this type of packaging are clearly marked.Any brands can be deposited but check they are plastic and not film. As a rule film cleanly tears and is louder when crunched, plastic is softer and stretches when pulled.

Louises Data Base?
Louise Bayfields “POSTIVE PRODUCTS LIST (UK) a list of High Street and Supermar-ket products that have no packaging or in some way help reduce packaging.”

Shopping Tips

If you want to buy loose, you will need to take your own reusable packaging – produce bags, tupperware even compostable disposables. You can find them here.

Sneaky Plastics

Choose Well
If you really can’t do without it and you have a choice a plastic wrapped products, choose to buy the one in simple plastics that can easily be recycled

see all our supermarket info HERE.
Find out more about the individual products here via the food index
Other places to buy unpackaged food are listed here

N.B.

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project.

U.K. Owned Chainstores

28 August 2015 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.2.3 Supermarkets & Chains Tagged 5 Content Veiw

And let me say right now I’m not overly keen on chainstores. They are killing off the local shops and take money out of the community. Before you enter please do consider shopping at your local shops. Reasons why here.

But if you must buy from them perhaps you should consider buying from British owned.

Here are some options….

Books & Stationary

W.H. Smiths

Personal Care

Lush have a good ethical track record. and do some great plastic free stuff. Read more here.

Department Stores

Marks & Spencers British, are reasonably green and they do reuse their coat hangers! apparently!

John Lewis is a chain of high-end department stores operating throughout the United Kingdom. The chain is owned by the John Lewis Partnership, which was created by Spedan Lewis, son of the founder, John Lewis, in 1929. Wikipedia
Customer service: 01698 545454
Headquarters: London
Founder: John Lewis
Founded: 1864
Subsidiaries: Waitrose Limited, John Lewis Properties plc, MORE
Parent organization: John Lewis Partnership

30 things you didn’t know about John Lewis

4. John Lewis is owned by its permanent staff who are called ‘partners’ and the profits are shared amongst them every year.

Read more: https://www.insider-trends.com/30-things-you-didnt-know-about-john-lewis/#

DIY & Garden

B&Q plc is a British multinational DIY and home improvement retailing company, headquartered in Eastleigh, England, United Kingdom and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc. Founded by Richard Block and David Quayle in 1969 originally as Block & Quayle, the retail chain offers over 40,000 products across 300 physical shops and online.

Kingfisher plc is a British multinational retailing company headquartered in London, with regional offices located across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland in locations such as Cardiff, Edinburgh and Dublin.^[4] It is the largest home improvement retailer in Europe, and the third largest in the world (behind The Home Depot and Lowe’s).

Screwfix is the United Kingdom’s largest multi channel retailer of trade tools, accessories and hardware products. Wikipedia
Customer service: 0333 011 2112
Headquarters: Yeovil
CEO: Graham Bell (7 Jul 2017–)
Founded: 1979
Revenue: 1.299 billion GBP (2016–2017)
Parent organization: Kingfisher plc

Robert Dyas is a UK hardware retailer founded in London in 1872. It sells a range of housewares, small electrical appliances, gardening products, kitchenwares, DIY, and consumer electronics throughout 96 shops, mainly in Greater London and South East England, as well as online.Wikipedia

Others

Air Miles & Buying British

One of the joys of living plastic free is mooching round the shops seeing what you can source. Better still if ...
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Swimwear Recycled

Well my Decathlon, unsustainable boy shorts have finally fallen apart and it is time to source some new, more ethical ...
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Clothes – Shop Bought

I have started making my own clothes but some things are beyond me. Tee shirts, underwear and Jeans / trousers are ...
Read More

Shea Butter Leeds

This is a quick introduction to Shea Butter Semi soft buttery oil. Read more about butter oils and waxes here ...
Read More

Citric Acid

Can be bought in a cardboard box without a plastic liner from Wilcos. Find more plastic free stuff as stocked ...
Read More

Lush plastic free products

lush are one of the more forward thinking British companies. They are ethical in all kinds of ways and sell ...
Read More

Wilkos

Did you know you can buy loose screw and other fixings at Wilcos - as many or as few as ...
Read More

Who owns what

This infographic is from reddit and I have no idea if it is true or not! But there is no ...
Read More

Yarn Wool

Know Your Fibres Textiles and ultimately clothing start with fibres Know Your Fibres Fibres are short fine hairs that can ...
Read More

Hodmedods – British Grown Beans, Grains & Pulses

Did you now you can get homegrown British beans, lentils (soon) and even Quinoa. Many of them organically grown…. Introducing ...
Read More

Use your local shops Reasons why here.
Buy British and cut those air miles. Some ideas HERE

Check out lots of buying options here

N.B.

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

Boots

13 November 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.2.3 Supermarkets & Chains Tagged 5 Content Veiw

About

Latest Plastic News

They have a range of plastic free products.

Other Products

From Louises database

BecoThings Potty and Step stool, reusable – Biodegradable and cardboard packaging
Boltanics Toiletry Range – Organic, midrange – Some items in glass with plastic tops
Bath Salts – Cardboard
Burt’s Bees – Some products in Glass with metal lids and tins
Double Edge Razor Blades 10’s– Cardboard and small plastic cover
Essential Oils – Glass – Various tops
Lip Tins – Metal
Mooncup – Cardboard
Nivea Creme – Tin
Naty by Nature Nappies – Biodegradable
Origins Toiletry Range, plant based and free from lots of nasties – A few glass items – Pricey
Reusable nappies and supplies
Wooden Handled Brushes with FSC mark, Boltanics and Ecotool range for Make-up and hair – Packaging unknown

Louises Data Base?
Louise Bayfields “POSTIVE PRODUCTS LIST (UK) a list of High Street and Supermar-ket products that have no packaging or in some way help reduce packaging.”

Shopping Tips

If you want to buy loose, you will need to take your own reusable packaging – produce bags, tupperware even compostable disposables. You can find them here.

Sneaky Plastics

Choose Well
If you really can’t do without it and you have a choice a plastic wrapped products, choose to buy the one in simple plastics that can easily be recycled

Read our guide on how and where to shop, here

see all our supermarket info HERE.
Find out more about the individual products here via the food index
Other places to buy unpackaged food are listed here

N.B.

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project.

If we have to have supermarkets …… Whole foods – a case study

21 July 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.2.3 Supermarkets & Chains, 3.7 Other Solutions 9 Comments

On our way back up the country, we decided to revisit Whole Foods Market, Cheltenham. This American company have recently opened some flagship stores in the UK of which Cheltenham is one. It is funky, good looking and challenging.We stumbled across this supermarket a few weeks ago quite by chance but didn’t have time for a proper look round. I wanted to know more and this time I emailed ahead asking if it would be OK for me to take photos. Not only did they say yes, but Renata Rees, Marketing Team Leader, offered to meet me. An offer I eagerly accepted.

Loose Unpacked Food

Do I sound excited? By a supermarket? Well yes I am. And the reason? This supermarket sells food loose and unpacked. I don’t just mean meat or vegetables (though that too) but nuts, spices and other dried commodities. The kind of stuff that usually comes swathed in plastic! They do a good range of rice, dried beans and pulses and more unusual stuff like blue popcorn, dried cherries and unroasted peanuts. You measure out what you need into the paper bags provided, weigh it, label it and job is done. Better still you can use your own reusable cotton bags,container or glass bottle (they do oil refills too! and even peanut butter!)

They call this the cook section because, as Renata explained, they want for people to be able to try out new stuff without making a huge cash commitment or ending up with a pile of food they just don’t like.You can purchase just enough for one meal and see if it works out. No more half full packets of cous cous sitting unused at the back of the cupboard.

It also means you can buy fresh, when you need it, for meals you don’t do that often. It can’t be just me that has an array of dusty spices gently going off in the deepest recesses of the rack. Spices I use – but only occasionally.

Being able to buy in small amounts and only what you need is great for people like us with limited space. It allows us to have a wider selection of food stuffs in our very tiny cupboards. We can have variety while still being able to move. We can also buy luxury ingredients like red rice in amounts we can afford, great for our reduced van life budget.

But surely it costs more to buy this way? After all they are a supermarket not a charity. As any plastic free person knows, the financial choices of being plastic free are at times bewildering and unfair. Why is it cheaper to buy 3 plastic packed peppers than one loose unpacked pepper? It is as though the supermarkets are forcing us to buy pre packaged, portion-controlled, more-than-we-want produce! What a ridiculous thought!

But not here, Renata pointed out that here buying loose costs the same as buying pre-packed – even if you buy a just a few grams. Great news for the small amount purchaser – another unfairly abused and penalised customer. Also good for helping fight food waste. Because it is so much cheaper to buy the big packet, shoppers are often persuaded into buying more than they really want or need.

Well then surely it costs more generally. No, the prices for loose produce are extremely competitive.

And if you don’t know your bulgar from your cous cous, the store has healthy eating info and cooking demos aimed at stripping the mystery from these strange grains and seeds.

Would like to see….

My only quibble was that though the range was eclectic, it suffered from some strange omissions. I would have loved to have seen some wholemeal pasta up there. What am I talking about I would have loved to have seen any sort of pasta up there.

Other loose foods include

A lot of unwrapped veg including naked cucumbers and lettuces.
Meat butchered in store by proper butchers
Cheese – real cheese
Eggs – yes eggs – you can buy them loose
A bakery to die at least go up a dress size for. And everything is baked in store by proper bakers not brought in and finished in store.

Loose olives
Tea and coffee – I can recommend the Breakfast Tea.
Bath salts

And they serve cooked food in the cafe and for take out that is also made in store by chefs

They also offer a wine refill service. You buy a glass litre bottles from them that you then refill, yourself from the large and lovely barrel of wine. At least that was how it used to be but the wine kept going off. Now a member of staff fills your bottle from a huge 15 litre wine box. Not quite plastic free abut still a refill is a refill and the plastic wasn’t in my bin. And there is still some green kudos to be gained it – was organic and cost considerably less to transport it this way.

Would like to see….

I do think that a couple of opportunities have been missed. An Ecover (or similar) refill stand for cleaning products would be nice. But what I would really love to see is a refill milk machine! One of these. They say no customer has ever asked for one! If you are in the area….

Packaging

They provide paper bags for the dry products and the cutlery used in the deli is compostable. However the packaging for the meat and fish is plastic so you will have to take your own compostable and reusable bags.

Would like to see….

How fantastic if they were to offer compostable packaging for meat and fish.

And wouldn’t it be great if they were to sell reusable cotton bags in the loose food section.

For the rest of the store there was an awful lot of stuff packed in disposable plastic ….but lets not be too picky.

Waste disposal

Talking of rubbish, there comes a time in every plastic boycotter life when they look beyond their own bin and start to worry about packaging in the supply chain. This store is trying to manage all its trash in a sustainable way. Only 20 to 30 percent of their waste goes to landfill the rest is recycled and to a lesser extent but when ever possible reused. For example the cardboard boxes the eggs come in are returned to be refilled!

They run waste days to raise awareness days in store for the benefit of both the staff and customers.

Because they have in store chefs, produce that is getting near its sell by date can be used in the kitchens. Surplus food is given to charity. 6 mornings a week Trinity church use it to help feed the vulnerable.

They will also give you the coffee grounds from the cafe to use as compost.

Policies

Now of course your average plastic-refusing hipster, in a store with whole foods in the title, tends to care about a whole range of issues so you will be pleased to know that there are shop policies on everything including

Organic Food

To name a few. Check out the website for the full list.

BPA

Again, from a plastic perspective, they acknowledge the potential risk of BPA (considered by many to be a hormone disruptor) found in certain types of plastic. They are developing a fairly stringent response which is well documented on their website to quote To date, we have done more than any other U.S. retailer to inform our customers and take action on the issue. We continue to closely examine the packaging materials used in our stores, and we will continue to search for the safest and most functional packaging materials for our stores. You can find out more from their website.

Local Produce

They are also committed to local producers and recently had a food festival featuring 30 different farmers. They not only label their produce by country of origin but whether it was actually grown locally. Nice touch.

Conclusion

I could write a lot more on this subject and I really am not doing justice to Renatas wonderfully informative tour but I don’t want to go too far off subject or make you think I am in receipt of payment. But I am genuinely impressed with this store and their attempts to tackle some of the issues surrounding food production, packaging and marketing. Because whatever you think of supermarkets, they have a hugely important role to play in our society so it is important that they play it well.

Locations

They have stores in London, Cheltenham and Glasgow

I have visited and reviewed these stores

Would like to see…. one in Huddersfield.

Other supermarkets take some of these ideas on board.

Whole Food Market U.K. Chain

21 May 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.2.3 Supermarkets & Chains Tagged 3.1.3 bakery, 3.1.3 beans & pulses, 3.1.3 dried fruit and nuts, 3.1.3 Fruit & Veg, 3.1.3 Groceries, 3.1.3 herbs & spices & seasonings, 3.1.3 Meat & Fish, 3.6 #P-fU.K. Directory, 5 Content Veiw 8 Comments

Rushing through the Cheltenham suburbs, had to buy wine so lurched into the huge carpark of an out of town shopping experience. By which I mean a cluster of huge supermarkets snarling at each other across an enormous expanse of tarmac dotted with a huddle of tiny trees at least one of which was sporting a plastic bag. Village Boy leapt out of the van and bounded off shouting, white hare like, about time. I was following rather more sedately when Whole Foods Market caught my eye. I had never seen one before and I admit I snorted at the messages plastered on the windows…. but I went to have a look anyway.

I have numerous issues with supermarkets which I won’t go into here. Suffice to say I use them when I have to but they deeply irritate, even anger me. The packaging, the waste, the plastic are just a few of the niggles.

And yet, I was about to have a supermarket epiphany. Yes Whole Foods Market are my idea of supermarket heaven. If there have to be supermarkets, then let them be like this.

They have

Unwrapped lettuce and unpackaged olives…
Loose grains, rice beans and pulses
Loose tea & coffee beans.
Loose spices, herbs, dried fruits and nuts
A peanut butter making machine
oil on tap so you can refill your bottle

All of the above you can buy by weight in your own containers. This is common in the U.S. and Australia. They have bulk stores or bulk foods aisle in a grocery store. In this case it doesn’t necessarily mean buying huge amounts but buying loose and unpackaged.

BYO Bags

While the carrier bags at the check-out are paper, the rest of the packaging, the produce bags and bottles they provide, are all plastic so you would have to take your own compostable pots and reusable bags. Easily done – find out how here.

Tare

The weight of the bag will make a difference at checkout in the price per weight. The tare weight is the weight of the empty container. Whole Food Markets have weighing machines that allow you to do this yourself. It is very easy.

Lush

Whole Foods Market as it name suggests also has a organic eco criteria. This isn’t some giant Weigh & Save shop but a plush, lush shopping experience

Stores

Since then I have taken the opportunity to visits as many Whole Food Markets as I can.

Find A Store

They have stores in London, Cheltenham and Glasgow

I have taken photo journals which I have posted up on Facebook. Follow the links for

Please check that stock is available before you visit – the photos are quite old now and NOT ALL STORES ARE THE SAME. For instance Glasgow does Ecover refills Cheltenham doesn’t.

About

This American company have recently opened some flagship stores in the UK It is funky, good looking and challenging. It boasts impressive eco credentials. I wanted to know more so I emailed ahead asking if it would be OK for me to take photos next time I visited. Not only did they say yes, but Renata Rees, Marketing Team Leader, offered to meet me. An offer I eagerly accepted. You can read about it here

Find more loose food shops here

Lidles

20 May 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.2.3 Supermarkets & Chains Tagged 3.1.3 bakery, 3.1.3 dried fruit and nuts, 3.1.3 Loose Food, 3.1.3 Sweets snacks & nibbles, 5 Content Veiw 2 Comments

Lidles is a chain of budget supermarkets. It offers some plastic free surprises. (Click the links to see a review and other options). Take your own bags

Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG (German pronunciation: [ˈliːdl̩]; UK: /ˈlɪdəl/ LID-əl), formerly Schwarz Unternehmenstreuhand KG, is a German global discount supermarket chain, based in Neckarsulm, Germany,[1] that operates over 10,000 stores across Europe and the United States.[2] It belongs to Dieter Schwarz, who also owns the store chains Handelshof and hypermarket Kaufland.

porridge oats in a paper bag

salt in a cardboard box

pistachios (take your own bag and scoop out as much as you want)

White rice in a cardboard box

Bakery section selling loose rolls and continental pastries. These are good value and pretty good – particularly enjoyed the pain au raisin. Again take your own bags.

Tissues, box of, without a plastic collar.

I haven’t tried these but they look promising;
bread mix flour with yeast already added just add oil and water, what sounds like plastic free corn flour and breadcrumbs in a box (no plastic crackle when squeezed).

Sadly most of the veg is plastic wrapped and all the meat and cheese.

I have not seen these myself but know a woman who has.

Here are some packaging less products from Louises Bayfield and her “POSTIVE PRODUCTS LIST (UK) a list of High Street and Supermar-ket products that have no packaging or in some way help reduce packaging.”

Butter – Paper

Bread, loaves and rolls – Bulk from Bakery – Very good selection

Breadcrumbs – Cardboard – Can anyone confirm there is no bag inside?

Bread Mixes, various larger bags – Paper

Cake Mixes, various – Paper – Seasonal item not always in stock

Cornflour – Cardboard – Can anyone confirm that there is no bag inside?

Doughnuts – Bulk from Bakery

Feta – Glass Jar

Fish Fingers and battered fish, MSC – Cardboard

Fruit and Vegetables – Reasonable selection of loose produce

Nuts, salted cashews, pistachios – Bulk bins – Take very light weight bags as no tare

Oats – Paper – Excellent value

Pastries, Croissants, Pain Au Choc and various Danishes – Bulk from Bakery

Pizza Slices – Bulk from Bakery

Rice, white – Cardboard

Salt – Cardboard

Washing powder, non-bio – Cardboard – No plastic scoop

Lush plastic free products

1 February 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.2.3 Supermarkets & Chains, 3.6 Businesses & social enterprises Tagged 3.2.6. buy local buy British, 5 Content Veiw

lush are one of the more forward thinking British companies. They are ethical in all kinds of ways and sell a lot of their beauty products unwrapped. Good if you are trying to live plastic free and not hurt the bunnies. Read more About ethical Lush here

They do plastic free

unwrapped soap
solid shampoo read my review here
solid conditioner read my review here
unpacked henna
Unpacked bath bombs

Most other products are in recyclable pots – return to store for free product

And these new products
The following is from the UK business insider review.
Lush just released “naked” — or packaging-free — versions of shower gels, body lotions, and body conditioners.
The naked body lotion and body conditioner are surprisingly great, and work slightly better than their packaged counterparts.
The naked shower gel is unique, but isn’t quite as moisturizing as the original formula.

Making Other Personal Care Products

Its quicker then trying to choose between a hundred different shampoos and it’s really simple, fun to do, so much cheaper and I get to control what goes on my body, where it comes from and what environmental impact it has.

Lots more info here on making your own personal care products

Wilkos

5 January 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.2.3 Supermarkets & Chains Tagged 3.2.6. buy local buy British, 5 Content Veiw 1 Comment

Did you know you can buy loose screw and other fixings at Wilcos – as many or as few as you need and you can mix and match. You will need to take your own plastic free bag.

Loose screws

You can find a photo gallery of the #plasticfree products we have sourced, here

Plus these which we didn’t take photos of

Bicarbonate of Soda, large crystals – Cardboard
Borax Substitute – Cardboard
Citric acid

Find A Store – store locator here

Wilko Retail Ltd. is a British high-street chain which sells homewares and household goods. Founded in 1930 as Wilkinson Cash Stores by James Kemsey Wilkinson in Leicester, the company has remained largely in the hands of the founding family. Wikipedia

Supermarkets & Chainstores

Sometimes supermarkets can surprise you – check out the plastic-free and reduced packaging products here.

Eating plastic free from supermarkets

12 November 2013 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.2.3 Supermarkets & Chains

Supermarkets
The Co-op in the UK is owned by it’s members. That’s you. So do use that whenever possible. Sadly they are bad for packaging. Write and tell them.
Waitrose is owned by staff in the John Lewis Partnership and has some kind of deal with the workers whereby they share some of the profits. They do some excellent plastic free buns and bread and is one of the few places you can still get butter in paper.
Buy British – you might want to choose a mostly British owned company to shop with.
Tesco
Sainsburys
Morrison plc are listed on the London stock exchange. Whilst the majority of investors are British or British companies or pension funds, these investments can be held by anyone around

Eating Plastic Free Food

Plastic free food is food that is unwrapped but for me it also includes

Tetra Paks (paper foil & plastic lined).
Glass bottles and jars with plastic lined metal lids
Tin cans of food – they are nearly all plastic lined
Plastic coated paper and foil – a tricky one often hard to spot.
The plastic bag in the cardboard box squeeze and listen for the rustle.
Teabags (Packaging aside), the bag itself contains plastic

From Supermarkets!

Now many people think you cannot be plastic free and shop from supermarkets. I agree it is not easy

And let me say right now I don’t like supermarkets. They are killing off the local shops and take money out of the community. But for many people they are the only option. Because they have killed off local shops. Vicious circle. But this is about plastic-free food NOT supermarket politics so I am going to prove that you can eat plasticless and shop at supermarkets.

How to do it…

If prepared to eat seasonally, traditionally (think meat and two veg with spuds), and cook from scratch, supermarkets if they are big enough to have meat and fish counters can supply you with a fair variety of food. If you are depending on Tesco Express you are going to go hungry.

Bring Your Own Bags

You will also need to take your own packaging. Check out the plastic-free shopping kit here.

Ingredients for a week

I got an a big sack of unpackaged fruit & veg from Tesco,

It included leeks, potatoes, onions, carrots, broccoli, courgettes, peppers. apples, a melon, mushrooms and bananas.

Apart from the peppers (Holland), and Melon (Spain), and bananas (forgot to look), it was all grown in the U.K.

I got loose ginger and garlic from Tesco. The chiles I bought a while ago from the Asian shop but I have seen them loose in Morrisons.

Eggs & oats in a cardboard box.

Back to Tesco’s for lard in paper. Sainsbury’s and the Co-op do butter in paper.

Meat and fish can be bought unpackaged from the counters but I ask that they use our own compostable biobags.

The brown rice I bought loose from Wholefood market sometime ago. White rice can be bought in a box from Lidles.

We also get some cheddar cheese from Tesco. It was cut off the (plastic – wrapped) block but wrapped in our own packaging. The plastic is not in our bin. You can read up on how we feel about this, here.

You can get bread rolls loose from Tesco but I don’t like them much, the co-ops are much better. Lidles and Waitrose do loose loaves of bread. Almost everywhere does croissants. I also used my bread machine and plastic wrapped dried yeast.

More information on all of the above can be found here…

Non Supermarket Beverages

Drinks were

Tea you can buy loose PG Tips from supermarkets but I had loads in anyway.
Coffee which you can’t get plastic free at the supermarket. I get mine from Coffeevolution
Milk was from the milkman. Read on…

Fizzy drinks were carbonated water made with the sodastream mixed with homemade ginger and lemon syrup.Read on…

Meals For the Week

Breakfast
Porridge with bananas

Toast and butter
Croissants and fruit
Omelette and other forms of egg

Lunch

Butties from the shop
Butties made at home
Veg soup – anything that is looking a bit sad and needs eating up thickened with potatoes. I would prefer to use lentils but I cannot get them .

Dinners
Day One Stir Fry left over steak from Sunday, lots of veg in a spicy tomato sauce served with rice.

Day Two Roast chicken and veg with home made gravy from chicken juices and flour. Wine (plastic lined screw top), was added.

Day Three a rich and meaty stew made with stewing steak served with boiled potatoes. Meat and veg were from Tesco’s.

Day Four Bangers and mash made with Tesco’s chippolata sausages – the only ones they had loose.

Day Five Mushrooms and peppers were added to the left over day three stew to make a rich goulash that was served with rice.

Day Six Bacon ribs from Stockport Market – yes I know its not a supermarket but I felt so sorry for them. Stockport Market used to be huge spreading across the square and down the side streets. Now there are hardly any stalls outside. The indoor market was open for business but there were not many shoppers. I bought some meat, veg and loose sweets. Such a shame.

Day Seven pork from Tesco’s used in a stir fry made with coconut powder that is not plastic free. It comes in a plastic sachet. BUT I made my own noodles. First time ever. So easy!

You can see photos over on Facebook
More info

The Plastic Free Cookbook

A discussion of supermarkets here http://plasticisrubbish.com/2016/03/27/lyn-bulls-supermarket-research/

Which Shop

Use your local shops Reasons why here.

Buy British and cut those air miles. Some ideas HERE

Food Here is a list of food types category with purchase details

Loose Food
Find out if a shop near you sells bulk food loose. This is stuff that that normally comes plastic packaged. A list of towns with shops selling loose food.

Milk
Delivered in glass bottles but double check before you order

Help

Trying to go plastic-free – try the plastic is rubbish support group. Follow the Facebook link.

Morrisons

6 September 2013 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.2.3 Supermarkets & Chains Tagged 5 Content Veiw

A quick overview of some of the plastic free / reduced stuff you can get in Morrisons Supermarket, Huddersfield.

A pretty good selection of fruit and veg and a good butchers and fish counter where they sell unwrapped cuts. Take your own cornstarch compostable bags because they only have plastic.
Most unusually for any supermarket they have a great selection of spices – fresh ginger, garlic and chillies, that they sell unpackaged. Hooray, stir fry tonight.
They do loose bread rolls and some round bread rolls they call bagels. They are not proper bagels more like round bread rolls but you can pretend. Again you will need your own bags paper – or better still reusable produce bags,

Cat litter in paper bags and dry dog food (sewn with thread – possibly synthetic?)
Pick & Mix sweet stall with paper bags. But you can use your own.
Salt in cardboard box – I don’t buy this as it is too expensive, (I buy from Lidles), but I heard it came plastic bag free. That has since been disputed. Does anyone know?
ketchup in a glass jar (metal lid plastic lined)
Vinegar in a glass bottle (plastic lid)
pasta (small plastic window but least plastic packed ready made pasta on the market).

I have not seen these myself but know a woman who has.

Cake Mix, Wright’s – Paper
Coconut Oil – Glass and metal
Cornflour, Brown and Polson – Cardboard, I believe this may be bagless inside
Coffee, instant, extra large sizes – Various packaging
Double Edge Razor Blades 10’s – Cardboard and small plastic cover
Ecover Washing Powder – Cardboard, no scoop
Fish Fingers, Birds Eye 30 MSC – Big pack to save on packaging – Cardboard
Gram Flour – Paper
Laundry Stain Removal Soap Bar – Cardboard
Oats – Several Brands – Cardboard
Pizza bar – Larger stores – Has anyone tried to buy one of these unwrapped yet?
Rice, Various 4 – 10kg bags, biggest selection – Various packaging
Washing-up Eco Liquid,

Shopping Tips

If you want to buy loose you will need to take your own reusable packaging – produce bags, tupperware even compostable disposables. You can find them here.

For the plastic free freak metal lids to glass jars are of course plastic lined .

Tin and cans including those for cosmetics are also plastic lined

For products that are packaged in plastic choose to buy simple plastics that can easily be recycled

Do remember not all stores stock all products. It might be wise to check ahead if you are making a special visit.

Don’t Like Supermarkets?

Other places to buy unpackaged food are listed here

Plastic Free Finds

ASDA

Widely Available At Most Supermarkets

The Rest

Homesence

Ikea

Ocado

Poundland

Robert Dyas

Staples

T.K. Max

Missed Some?

Which Chain

Shopping Tips

More Ways To Buy Food

Other Considerations

N.B.

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Other Products

Shopping Tips

Sneaky Plastics

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Shopping Tips

Sneaky Plastics

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Books & Stationary

Personal Care

Department Stores

DIY & Garden

Others

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About

Latest Plastic News

Other Products

Shopping Tips

Sneaky Plastics

More

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Loose Unpacked Food

Packaging

Waste disposal

Policies

BPA

Local Produce

Conclusion

Locations

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Stores

About

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Making Other Personal Care Products

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Eating Plastic Free Food

From Supermarkets!

How to do it…

Ingredients for a week

Meals For the Week

Help

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Shopping Tips

Don’t Like Supermarkets?

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