Plastic-free shopping: Zero waste store coming to York

Imagine unpacking your shopping – and not having a single piece of packaging to throw away.

That vision is behind a project to bring a zero waste store to one of York’s top retailing streets.

The Bishy Weigh is the brainchild of city businesswoman Alice Hildred. As you might guess from the name, the shop is set to open on Bishopthorpe Road.

It will allow shoppers to “buy a wide range of store cupboard and household essentials, without any horrible throw-away plastic packaging”. Alice told YorkMix:

• The Bishy Weigh will be a pantry and household essentials store, complementing what is already on offer down Bishy Road, but we’ve also had a high demand for more lifestyle products to be available.

  Instead of having to order from a faceless internet shop, our customers will get friendly, local help in switching to a greener lifestyle.
  

Weigh and pay

By bringing your own containers and bags you can buy exactly how much you need at the Bishy Weigh – freeing up cupboard space, reducing food waste, and helping reduce the amount of single-use plastics.

A shop like this requires some specialist equipment, including gravity dispensers, liquid dispensers and ‘weigh and pay’ digital scales.

Alice has launched a crowdfunding campaign on IndieGogo to raise £5,000 for these essentials.

There are lots of incentives for donors, from discount vouchers and shopping bags to free cakes and party catering.

The new eco pantry means “you will be able to shop for what you need, when you need it,” the crowd-funding page states.

“Need a little bit of an unusual ingredient for a recipe, or fancy trying out something new? Just buy the quantity you need, with no more part-packs getting left sitting idly in the cupboard.”

Baker to the stars

Alice’s previous career was in television production.

When she worked for a London documentary production company she became known as the ‘office baker’, bringing her home bakes in for colleagues to enjoy.

In May 2011, Alice was thrilled to be asked to make a birthday cake for Sir David Attenborough, who the company was working with at the time.

Two years later she set up White Rose Bakes. Based at the Eco Business Centre at Clifton Moor, White Rose Bakes supplies cakes for weddings and other events, and to cafés including Bistro Guy, The Perky Peacock and Spring Espresso.

Alice lives in South Bank, close to Bishy Road, and is an active member of the community, helping out at the community garden.

She told us:

• We’ve already started working alongside Planet Southbank, The Bishy Road Traders Association, and Zero-Waste York to help bring the community a greener and independent supermarket alternative.

  We’ve had an amazing response already from members of the local community and beyond, with a lot of excitement as to what we’ll be able to provide.
  

Follow developments at The Bishy Weigh on its Facebook page.