GIY has opened a new sustainable refill store at GROW HQ, which encourages a low-waste lifestyle by selling reusable, refillable or compostable products.
The Waterford store – named Larder – will supply essential products alongside locally grown fresh produce, while replacing everyday plastic purchases.
Larder provides household essentials, including cereals, nuts, seeds, rice, sugar, pasta, oils, herbs, spices, flours, chocolate and more, sold in refillable containers.
These will soon be joined by organically grown seasonal fruit and vegetables, grown by GIY at its market garden on the Curraghmore Estate.
These will be sold loose or available via a weekly vegetable box order.
The store will also stock a range of household cleaning products, from all-purpose cleaners to fabric softeners, all available to refill.
GROW HQ sandwiches, salads, hummus, pesto and mustards – made from the HQ kitchen – will be available in the store’s grab-and-go section.
Larder will encourage people to reduce and reuse, as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 1.2 million tonnes of plastic go to waste each year in Ireland.
‘The New Norm’
Speaking about the new store, the founder of GIY, Michael Kelly, said, “I think most of us are horrified at the amount of unnecessary packaging on products that we’re bringing into our home, so this has been a long-help ambition of mine, to be able to make low-waste options more widely available.
“While recycling is the answer for many people, we actually only recycle about 15% of annual household waste, so, really, prevention is the most important way of ensuring that single-use plastic doesn’t become a long-term pollutant.
“We are trying to offer as many common-use household products as possible, and also make the refill usage as easy as possible.
“We hope that this becomes the new norm for many people. As our recycling rates are desperately low, we have to contribute to the solution by changing our habits as consumers, and that not only affects your personal waste footprint, but also encourages producers and companies to give solutions because they see people wanting plastic-free options and solutions.”
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