A ZERO waste shop in Tavistock has reopened for busisness after a community take-over.
A group of seven former customers of the Jar on Market Street banded together to form a community interest company after a groundswell of support from the town which included raising £10,000 for set-up costs.
Now reopening under the name of Tavistock Refillery, the goods are ethically sourced, plastic packaging is shunned and users are encouraged to make and learn more about environmentally-friendly choices. The stock is being built up gradually according to demand.
Tina Husband, shop manager, said: “We’ve had a really good first day. People are gradually getting to know we are here and there’s another refill shop. There’s been demand for yellow split peas as the autumn soup season begins and for hand soap. We’re responding to what our customers want and that’s how we’ll go forward and how we’ll build up stock.”
She added: “It’s been an encouraging start with people passing by and noticing that the old shop is coming to life again. There’s been lots of positive feedback. Tavistock does have an environmentally-friendly base of shoppers and we hope we can also recruit some volunteers to add to the staff rota.”
The shop is run by one part-time manager and volunteers. More volunteers are needed for Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5.30pm, Details from [email protected]