Did you know that Glasgow is known for being one of the ‘greenest’ cities in the United Kingdom, just behind Edinburgh and Aberdeen? In a recent survey it was found that Glasgow’s residents were the most likely to reduce their plastic use compared to any other city across the country, and one of the main ways that they are doing this is through the way that they shop.
Eco-friendly and sustainable shops have been popping up all over the city over the past few years, and the West End is no exception. The West End is home to some fantastic second-hand and vintage shops, which are all playing their part in reducing the impact that waste has on the environment. Although more recently, the concept of ‘refill’ stores has grown greatly in popularity, which are further helping the West End to become more greener and eco-friendly.
What Are Refill Stores?
Refill stores are exactly as their name suggests. They are independent stores that stock non-package food, typically dry food, that allow customers to come in and shop sustainably. All that the customers need to do is bring their own containers to store the dry food in. The dry food that are typically stocked in refills stores are pasta, rich, oats, nuts, and cereal. They sometimes even sell many other sustainable products, such as refill cleaning products, soaps, and homeware goods.
Why You Should Shop Sustainably
Refill stores are one of the easiest and most effective ways of shopping sustainably and reducing the impact that your spending habits have on the environment. Shopping in environmentally friendly shops such as refill stores means that less plastic and packing is being produced, which have can have a huge impact on the environment. In the UK only it is estimated that five million tonnes of plastic is used every year, nearly half of which is product packaging. So, taking the small step to shop sustainably in refill stores can help to reduce this number greatly.
Where You Should Visit
Like previously mentioned, there are a number of sustainable, refill stores that have opened up over the past few years in the West End that are helping Glasgow to get its greener image.
First of all, we have Ecomart, located on Dumbarton Road in Patrick. Ecomart allow their customers to fill up on loose food products, cleaning products and they even sell loose fruit and vegetables, milk, bread, and eggs, meaning no packaging is required. They also have lots of non-food products on offer to help you live more sustainably, so make sure to check them out. Also check out their Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ecomartuk/ to keep up to date.
Next up there is Locovore, who opened their doors back in August 2020 and are also located on Dumbarton Road. Locovore offer a range of fresh and sustainable products to their customers, but it is so much more than a grocery store. Locovore have a big idea to change the world one shopping basket at a time and offer a social enterprise supermarket which stands up for a better food system. For more details on Locovore and their big idea, visit their website at https://glasgowlocavore.org/partick-shop/.
Last but certainly not least, there is Society Zero. Located on Queen Margaret Drive, Society Zero pride themselves on providing as many products as they can without packaging so that they can help their customers to lead a more zero waste lifestyle. Any of the products that they do provide with packaging is fully recyclable, reusable, or compostable, meaning they are still playing their part in the amount of plastic that is wasted. For more information on Society Zero, head over to their website at https://societyzero.co.uk/.
Make sure that you check these sustainable shops out and help the West End to become an even more green and eco-friendly place.
