FILL ’EM UP - THE BEST ZERO WASTE SHOPS IN KENT
We meet some of the independents bringing zero-to-waste shopping to the county’s high streets
Sometimes you have to take a step backwards to move forwards. This is so prevalent in the movement to eradicate single-use plastics.
Some of us are old enough to remember collecting our fruit and vegetables from the local greengrocers in a paper bag or storing things in those clip-top glass Kilner jars - and some people have continued to do it all along. But, for those who haven’t, don’t be scared, you haven’t entered a portal back to the 40s, this isn’t Goodnight Sweetheart (look it up, kids), it is the future.
Organic, sustainable, zero-to-waste or bring-your-own packaging - however you want to describe them, these stores are setting a very important trend: not everything we eat has to be presented on a polystyrene tray and wrapped in clingfilm.
RAWGANIC, DARTFORD
A small, independent, organic shop based in Dartford - with both zero-waste dispensary and organic goods - Rawganic’s products are sourced from in and around Kent.
Rawganic was founded in September 2021 by Kim Goodger, hairdresser and owner of Raw in Dartford, a salon that is now eco-conscious and cruelty-free.
“I opened the store because I had a passion for doing my bit for the planet and being sustainable,” she says. “I also want to teach my daughter how to be kinder to the planet and make good choices when it comes to food.
“I own an eco hair salon in the same town and have done so for 13 years and didn’t cope very well not being able to work for 10 months during the various lockdowns. I wanted to open something that would enable me to still work and provide for my family if another lockdown were to occur. My community is important to me, so I love teaching people about making sustainable choices.”
Rawganic’s best-sellers include the local organic eggs, cruelty-free honey and Kent cheeses - though the fresh organic soup is also winning a lot of fans.
“Honestly, I think the customers love knowing where their food has come from. It’s fresh and has not travelled far,” she says. “A huge part of the store is on a refillable basis - we are the only kind like this in our area.”
Look out for the oat milk on tap, fresh baked goods, a variety of speciality allergenic foods, dried foods and household liquids, as well as handmade gifts from local crafters. You might even get some tips on your haircut, too!
BARE BAZAAR, ASHFORD
Bare Bazaar was created in direct response to the media coverage of plastic pollution.
Founder Kati Ramsden became frustrated at not being able to shop without avoiding unnecessary plastic.
“I had an ‘eco-piphany’ around Christmas 2017, when I woke up to the sheer amount of consumerism, excess and waste around,” says Kati. “I vowed to do better for our family and started actively looking at ways to cut our waste, especially around plastic. I visited a refill shop in a nearby town, which was a great experience, but thought that having to travel to another town to shop that way was possibly counterproductive in terms of fuel. So I started researching setting up my own in Ashford and my market research showed that people really were crying out for it.”
Bare Bazaar debuted at Ashford Farmers’ Market on 1 July 2018 and it now has a full-time home in Park Mall and a hugely expanded range.
“I sell a lot of household liquids, shampoo and body wash etc. I think this is an area where people can really see the difference to the waste their household creates, when there are fewer empty bottles filling up the bins.
“Customers love the fact they can have whatever they want, in the quantity they want, and pulling the levers on the gravity dispensers is kind of fun!”
The tagline “Food, but Nude” isn’t bad, either.
ZILCH - ZERO WASTE, TONBRIDGE
With a campaign that sees them plant a tree for every tenner spent with them online, Zilch - Zero Waste in Tonbridge are on a mission to change the way we think about shopping physically, too.
“I created a zero-waste store because after having children my eyes were opened to how much waste we each create,” says Emma-Louise Richards.” I’ve always been aware to some degree of the impact we’re having on the planet, but the more I started to look at ways to reduce our waste as a household, the more I became aware of just how bad that impact is and wanted to make drastic changes to reduce our footprint.”
With a huge range of products, from sea salt to eye cream and washing-up liquid to sage and onion stuffing mix, Zilch assure their customers that the products they buy will not only be sourced locally where possible but they will not be in plastic, if in any packaging at all.
“We pride ourselves on providing a friendly, helpful and non-judgemental service at Zilch,” says Emma-Louise. “Our customers return because they like the atmosphere we have created and the range of environmentally-friendly products on offer.”
Just remember to bring your containers to fill up on the goodies!
(Photo credit to Charlotte Knee)
NAKED PRODUCTS CO.
Offering a range of plastic-free, eco-friendly, zero-waste cosmetic and homecare products, David Owen started Naked Products Co. after his wife was hospitalised by a skin infection in January 2020.
“I learned to make soap and other products for her skin and this led us down the no-palm oil route and eventually to plastic waste,” he says. “We fell in love with trying to reduce our plastic consumption and eventually took the plunge and decided to open our store.”
As Medway’s first refill shop, Naked Products Co. has added much to the range over the last year since launching.
“We are non-judgemental, we are imperfect eco-warriors and just want to help everyone do the bit they can to reduce their plastic consumption,” says David. “I think how we integrated ourselves into the community, helping run weekly litter-picks and fundraisers for other local community groups has also helped.
“There is also massive love for our gallery attached to the store. We have a new artist every month, so people love to come and support local artists and creators.”
UNBOXED, CANTERBURY
On St Peter’s Street, Canterbury, Unboxed has set about creating a cleaner, better Earth.
Founder Lynda Desmarais set the aim of creating a shop that is packaging either free, fully recyclable or biodegradable.
“I was never very good at recycling. I used to find it confusing - what’s recyclable and what isn’t? And I also found out that a lot of what we send off to be recycled ends up in landfill anyway,” she says. “Then one night I woke up with the idea of going back to shopping the way people used to when I was little. I remembered that my mother used to put an order in at the local shops and then go and collect the groceries in a cardboard box. We didn’t have loads of plastic waste. Fruit and veg came in paper bags.
“We were a family of six with one metal dustbin. And so I decided to recreate what I remembered from that time.”
Among the natural and eco-friendly products, the most popular items are the washing-up liquid refill, loose-leaf teas, soap bars and refills of rice, pasta and quinoa.
Unboxed is proud to say that nothing you buy from the store will get sent to a landfill site.
(Sadly, we understand that Unboxed Canterbury is likely to close - but until that is 100% confirmed, get down there and support people).
