The news of plastic being found in tap water is the final straw. Reusing our shopping bags is not enough. We need to reduce waste, plastic in particular. Recently we discovered Bulk Market; A zero-waste, plastic free grocery shop in London.
And it’s simple! You’ll bring your empty containers, or buy a reusable one there. The weight of the container is deducted when you pay at the till.
So what can you buy? Whole grains, flours, oils and vinegars, pasta, nuts and seeds, herb and spices, dried fruits, cereal, dairy and eggs, bakery goods, fruit and veg, beer and wine, household products, personal care and even pet food. And in contrast to the supermarkets most of Bulk Market’s produce comes from within a 50 miles radius from the shop and is UK grown or made to organic standards.
This site is a pop-up which has been crowdfunded, but the plan is to move to a permanent location. When the shop has finally settled somewhere, the aim is to have a working beehive on site, producing fresh honey from London bees. The Flow hive will come with a glass window, so you can see the bees working… I’m sure the kids in particular will love this!
Also, they encourage you to bring in your kitchen caddy or garden waste to feed their commercial grade composting machine. Make sure you only bring in what is on their allowed-list. This is a community service they will offer, free of charge. Once the compost is ready to use, you’re welcome to come in and pick up any quantity.
Although this sounds like a lovely idea I’m not sure we’re quite there yet… bringing our food waste on the bus to Dalston. But perhaps for the more advanced, this is a great initiative! We’ll start by buying in bulk and watching the bees producing honey.
Bulk Market was launched at the end of August so it’s still fairly new. You can pop in from Monday to Saturday, from 10am to 7pm, in 494 Kingsland Road, E8 4AE London. Nearest station is Dalston.
If zero waste is of interest, you might want to check out the blogs Trash is for Tossers and Zero Waste Home.
Or head straight to bulkmarket.uk