ONE of the first ‘brick and mortar’ zero-waste shops in Oxfordshire has had a non-stop month since it opened in August.

Going Green in Arbery’s Arcade, Wantage, opened on August 31, offering customers food outside of single-use plastic wrappers, with the option of bringing along their own empty containers to fill, as well as plastic-free toiletries.

Shopkeeper Karolina Nield said it had been an incredible first month.

She said: “We had been building up to the opening day with a lot of social media activity so I knew there was a fair bit of interest but I still had that worry at the back of my mind that nobody would come.

“We had 80 people through the door on our first day and it has been busy ever since.”

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Oxford Mail:

Karolina Nield, who has set up Going Green, with her husband Matt.

In the first month, the shop’s customers have refilled 1,032 containers and swapped in 563 plastic-free alternatives like bamboo toothbrushes, steel lunch boxes and solid bar soaps.

Mrs Nield, 38, said she has always been interested in environmental issues, but she and her husband Matt, 42, had their children, Zofia, 8, and Archer, 6, her concerns felt more urgent.

She said: “Our children’s future depends on our behaviour and habits now.”

The Wantage resident said the zero-waste shop felt like the ‘next logical step’ after promoting sustainable living while running a baby and toddler group called The Green Bean over the past six years.

After a year of running The Green Bean, she started to source zero-waste food for members through a co-operative called Infinity Foods.

The Brighton-based company has since become her go-to supplier for most of Going Green’s stock, but she also buys grains, peas, beans and pulses from Hodmedods, and toiletries from the Guilt-Free Soap Company.

Oxford Mail:

Some of the toiletries on sale at Wantage's zero-waste shop.

While Going Green might be the first permanent zero-waste shop in Wantage, Mrs Nield said it was far from the first in Oxfordshire.

She said: “I am definitely not the first and I’m sure I won’t be the last. But I am the first bricks and mortar shop in Wantage.”

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She pointed to Eynsham Market Garden which introduced a zero-waste section at the beginning of the year as well as Waitrose’s Unwrapped section in their Botley store.

Oxford Mail:

Karolina Nield at the counter of Going Green.

Mrs Nield, who used to work as a biomedical scientist for the University of Oxford, said it was important sustainable living should be accessible to everybody.

She said: “A lot of people have commented on how they expected the shop to be very expensive and have been surprised that the prices are very reasonable which is really important to me.”

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She added: “I’m so aware of how much of a struggle it can be sourcing sustainable alternatives to everyday products so in opening the shop, I’m hopefully making the transition for many people, a lot less overwhelming and easier to achieve.

“I want our message to be that every little change does count, it’s not all or nothing, and that our most powerful strategy is to be informed and educated about what we buy, where it comes from and whether it’s really necessary.”