Zero Store - opening in Leamington Autumn 2019

Aim

We are opening a Zero Waste shop in Leamington Spa to help people reduce the amount of single use plastic in their daily lives.

The Vision

We are opening a zero waste shop in Leamington Spa selling a wide range of food and household items. Any clean container from home is welcome and you can buy as much or as little as you need. This reduces food waste and can save you money too! Dried goods will include all household staples such as pastas, rice, cereals, dried fruits and nuts etc. We will also sell non-food items such as shampoo and conditioner bars, soaps, toothpaste tablets, coconut fibre scourers and more. There will also be eco-friendly household cleaners including laundry liquid, washing up liquid, fabric conditioner and hand soap. With hair and body care items to be added in future! These are supplied in returnable drums and can be decanted into any bottle you already own, or buy one made of recycled glass.

MANY items are locally sourced which supports other local businesses and boosts our local economy, as well as reducing food miles. This is also great, as we can collect with zero waste by using returnable containers. Local items already sourced include- coffee beans, loose leaf tea, honey, beeswax wraps, granola, flour, reusable wipes, soaps, shampoo and conditioner bars, cleaning products, stainless steel straws and bamboo toothbrushes!

What is Zero?

Zero began as an idea between two local mums who felt strongly about reducing single use plastics and protecting the environment for future generations. With half the team relocating abroad, Charlie has decided to launch Zero Leamington in order to support more local people trying to live a less impact lifestyle. We hope local people will embrace this adventure with their hearts and minds.

A less wasteful way of shopping made local and affordable, with friendly service and modern technology to make it all hassle free.

About Me

I'm Charlie, a primary school teacher and mum to two young boys aged 3 (Sol) and 1 (Leo). I have always had a keen interest in sustainable living, and what began with shopping in charity shops and using washable nappies for my boys grew into a desire to really help people make a difference. I've also got an endlessly supportive husband called Giorgio (or 'G' to me).

Over the past few years I’ve tried hard to make small changes to our lifestyle in order to reduce single use plastics, and over the past 10 months I’ve worked tirelessly to help others do the same. With no options to shop for a wide range of these goods locally, I want to offer a huge range of products which can be purchased both 100% plastic free and affordable. I have a strong belief that while living truly plastic free is nigh on impossible, if enough people can make small changes we can see huge positive impact overall.

After months of research, planning, and analysis I’ve decided that the community of Leamington Spa would be the ideal place for to make this dream a reality- helped by the fact I was approached privately by a landlord with a lovely premises!

What's wrong with plastic?

Plastic can be a great material. Waterproof, durable, lightweight and transparent. In the 50 years our use of plastic has skyrocketed. However, the main problem lies in how we have become to use a material which lasts centuries for just a matter of seconds. Single use plastics have become a huge problem and major threat to the survival of our natural environment.

• The equivalent of a truckload of plastic enters the oceans every minute. That's 8 million pieces a day.
• By 2050 it is estimated there will be more weight of plastics in our oceans than fish.
• Recent studies have shown plastic in 100% of marine turtles, 59% of whales, 36% of seals and 40% of seabird species examined.
• It is not only our oceans which are affected, single use plastics also pose a major threat to wildlife inland and in our waterways.

We can’t recycle our way out of this mess…it’s time to refuse, reuse ,reduce and rethink - with small changes one at a time.

What Will The Money Be Spent On?

We have already used personal savings to secure the lease and set up equipment detailed below. No matter what the shop will go ahead.  As you can imagine, initial rent and solicitor fees were expensive but necessary costs…Just the equipment ordered, materials and labour already paid for is detailed below:

• Self-serve scales and till system to ensure a simple, quick and effective shopping experience - £4,900
• Shop fittings. Layout rework, shelving, cabinets, signage, counters, flooring, heating, and labour etc - £7000
• 22 Gravity dispensers to allow quick and easy distribution of our food products - £2100
• Initial stock. All the pastas, cereals, nuts, dried fruits plus our cleaning products, household goods and toiletries - £3500

Here is what we’d like to raise the extra money for:

• A further 22 gravity dispensers to be able to further expand our range from day one (instead of adding more as we grow). £2100
• 29 Scoop bins for the stickier/messier items like dried fruits, flour, sugar, bicarb, epsom salts etc. These items do work in Kilner jars but it’s messy, time consuming and a massive faff. Scoop bins are hygienic and can hold a lot more so your raisins won’t empty out so quickly! £1100
• A professional standard coffee grinder for grinding the Monsoon Estate beans to order. Bought second hand. £300
• A dishwasher to ensure there’s always a supply of clean, dry (and FREE) jars for any purchases you don’t have a container for. £220. We are already working with a local cafe to clean and distribute their glass jars and bottles.
• A 200L drum of laundry liquid. We are using and refilling the 20L drums at the moment, and would love to be able to offer this in bulk (at a lower price) straight away. £750
• A commercial nut butter machine, in order for people to come and grind their own nut butters on demand. Producing nut butter with not a single preservative, salt or sugar in sight! You can adjust for smooth/medium/crunchy. Looks pretty cool too- think playdoh straight into a jar. £3000 (Impossible to find second hand except in the USA it would seem!)
• A stainless steel dispenser for start-up stock of locally produced extra virgin cold pressed rapeseed oil. We’ve been asked for locally produced oils on tap many times- please help us offer it from day one! £130
• We are planning to offer our basement space to like-minded community groups, crafters and makers to host workshops. We also plan to hold talks and clothes swap events. This money will be used for general refurbishments, furniture and Audio/Visual equipment. £2400

Who Is The Shop For?

Everyone! Whether you are a hardcore zero-waster, someone just starting on a plastic free journey or someone who just wants to come in and have a look around you'll be welcome. Our customers are at the heart of everything we do and we want to encourage as many people as possible to come into our shop and see how it works (/marvel at a peanut butter machine).

How will shopping here be better for the environment?

• You can bring your own containers to fill up which means less single use plastic waste.
• We source locally wherever possible which is great for our local independents and economy. Better quality products too!
• No product in the shop will contain plastic or be packaged in plastic meaning less waste will end up in landfill or polluting our waterways.
• Buying food unpackaged will means better value and space for a bigger variety of products.
• Food wastage will be reduced as you can buy as little or as much of any product as you like. Even enough for one small recipe is fine!

Thanks so much for reading about this project and if you would like to pledge (whether you'd like a reward or not) we really do appreciate the support. Please come and say hello once we are open too- chinwags are welcome!

Charlie

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This project successfully funded on 8th October 2019