Plastic Free n Easy

The Little Green Larder in Dundee is a fantastic shop for buying eco friendly products and refillery.

Hi my name is Jillian and I own and run The Little Green Larder in Dundee. We are an eco friendly shop that brings ethical and sustainable products to our customers. We have a range of over 200 refillable products, fresh foods, eco friendly alternatives for day to day items, personal care products and gifts.

I started the business because I found it really difficult to buy the food I wanted without plastic so I thought I would create a shop like that in Dundee to help everyone sop plastic free.

Reducing waste in all aspects is really important to us here at The Little Green Larder. We are so saddened by the devastating impacts that plastic is having on our environment and the animals that live in it that we really wanted to do something about it.

So many single use plastic products are used for minutes then discarded. We wanted to make a plastic free life accessible to as many people as possible!

We are also combating food waste here by allowing customers to buy as much or as little as they need. Any excess food products that we cannot sell are donated to our local community fridge and homeless people within Dundee.

It is so hard to choose just one favourite item as I decided to only stock sustainable products that I genuinely love and believe in. Our most popular items are our vegan pick and mix sweet selection, porridge oats and lentils. Right now I am loving our local berries and heritage tomatoes!

My best tip for reducing plastic is to start with every day easy swaps. When you need a new toothbrush buy a bamboo one, if you need cotton buds buy plastic free ones. Little steps here and there will really help to add up to the bigger goal.

Photos by Siobhan Diamond Photography

I love my shampoo bar so much. Much less hassle too when travelling! Reducing plastic often leads to reducing liquids too, my deodorant is a solid stick and as I use soap instead of shower gel, so much less liquids to deal with (when we can travel again on flights anyway...)

If you haven't switched over to shampoo bars yet, these 8 reasons might just get you to take the leap!⁠
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Repost ⁠
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8 REASONS TO SWITCH TO SHAMPOO BARS!⠀⁠
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Thinking about ditching the plastic shampoo bottles and trying bars? Here's 8 reasons to make the switch:⠀⁠
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1. Perfect for travel⠀⁠
2. No need to worry about liquids⠀⁠
3. TSA approved⠀⁠
4. Compostable/biodegradable packaging⠀⁠
5. No plastic waste⠀⁠
6. Super condensed (replaces 2-3 16oz bottles)⠀⁠
7. Better ingredients for you & our planet⠀⁠
8. Small and compact⠀⁠
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Have you tried our shampoo bars yet? Comment your favorite scent below 💚😍⠀⁠
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✨ Available on our website at www.theearthlingco.com or click the link in bio!



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I hope everyone is enjoying this sunny Saturday. I’m enjoying some fruit in my garden after lunch, all purchased locally from Granny Bettys Larder and Owen's Angus Jams - not all plastic free, but some of it was.

If you are out and about this weekend, or anytime! Think about bringing your recyclable waste home. It’s too easy just to throw all your rubbish in a bag and put it in the bin, but lots of it would be able to be recycled.

There are also platforms to recycle things such as crisp wrappers, chocolate and sweets wrappers etc through Terracycle. Lots of schools and community groups collect items which can then be given to Terracycle to recycle and the group get money depending on the weight. So you are saving items from landfill whilst also supporting local charities and schools!

TerraCycle TerraCycle is an innovative recycling company that has become a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle materials. They offer a range of free programmes, as well as recycling solutions available for purchase for almost every form of waste. Eliminate the idea of waste

Yesterday I had a visit to A Longer Table in Kirriemuir. A fantastic, wee zero waste shop, stocking pantry items as well as a variety of locally produced products such as soaps, candles, tea - all plastic free! The bags in the photo are compostable & biodegradable or recyclable.
Excited to try the Italian herb salt tonight on my sweet potato wedges! 😊
Kirriemuir, Angus

I visited Granny Bettys Larder today - a new shop on the High Street in Forfar, who sell local fruit and veg, soup, rolls, ice cream and more. So excited to be able to buy a selection of fruit and veg, all without plastic packaging and able to just buy as much of something as I wanted!
I’ll certainly be back!

https://m.facebook.com/Granny-Bettys-Larder-109435154191450/

Such a great way of re-using something to help those in need. Anyone local to the Dundee area with empty bottles, please do drop them off.

Green Eco Dream has some great visuals for explaining why we should be cutting down on our plastic use.
I really liked this balloon one. Yes, balloons are pretty, but once they are used, they take a ping time to decompose and can cause injury to animals.

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When we think about balloons first things that come to mind are party, celebrations, life.
In reality things are much different.
Best case scenario they become ugly litter, worst case they jeopardize wildlife.
Due to their attractive colors they have a high chance of being ingested and eventually causing death of animals that eat them.
There are so many better options as an alternative to ballons such as ribbon dancers, Kites & garden spinners, homemade bunting etc.
Why not choosing one of those instead?
What is your favorite eco-friendly decoration?
♻️

A new zero waste store has opened in nearby Kirriemuir. I haven’t been yet but it’s now on my to do list for this week!

https://m.facebook.com/alongertable/

A Longer Table We are a zero plastic waste, loose goods and refill grocery store in Kirriemuir Town Centre.

Day 31

Today I chat with Carlyn from Autumn Wren - a fantastic wee shop in Forfar celebrating their one week of opening today! They sell various beauty products, cleaning refills and pantry refills. They also have a website you can order from if you aren’t local! http://www.autumnwren.co.uk/

How did you get started with your business? Autumn Wren was born from a initial passion for more natural products. It probably started when I had my first baby and I really looked at what I was feeding him and putting on his skin. I started to make small swaps to more natural products for both him and myself. I had been a nurse for 13 years this year but I decided to follow my heart and my growing passion for natural, cruelty free and eco friendly beauty and skincare products so I decided to undertake a few courses and open a store which was initially focused on local, natural beauty products. The more research I did and products I came across, the more I fell in love with being eco friendly and I decided to fully go for it and open up an eco store with a large beauty selection.

Why is being plastic free so important to you?
Having minimal waste is so important to me because I am in love with nature and the world! The world creates and nurtures us and it is so sad how we treat it in return! We are a product of our environment and we are killing animals, destroying eco systems and polluting water sources. What we also need to realise is the plastic we dispose off then comes back to us in what we eat and drink!

What is your favourite item you sell?
When I was researching and trying out brands for the shop, I came across and fell in love with Zao. The creators of Zao were inspired by Asia and bamboo is the heart of the brand. Due to it's exceptional growth rate, it is a carbon capture champion during its life-cycle and it allows Zao to have a reduced carbon footprint. Bamboo is also in many of their Make-Up formulas as it is rich in organic silica, which participates in the process of producing collagen and preserves the elasticity of tissues.

Zao Products are 100% of natural origin, obtained by a non-polluting method, Certified Organic - free of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, minimising soil and groundwater pollution, protecting biodiversity and taking care of your health, Vegan, Cruelty Free, use sustainable packaging and only contain hypoallergenic and 100% natural fragrances

Zao Products are free from Petrochemical Derivatives, Synthetic preservatives, GMOs, Parabens, Phenoxyethanol, Nanoparticles,Silicone, Perfumes, Synthetic dyes and Phthalates.
ZAO are working on becoming a plastic free brand. Their products come in gorgeous bamboo containers and almost all of them are refillable.

What would your one tip be for reducing plastic easily?
My tips for reducing your plastic usage is to only make a few changes at a time so it doesn’t feel overwhelmed or expensive. Also try out different brands and choose things you love to use or love the look of as you are less likely to sway back to your old usuals that way.

Day 30

Today, Nicola from https://m.facebook.com/TheBlackCatSoapHouseKirriemuirScotland/
answers my questions about their plastic free soap company. You’ll have seen me post about them before, they sell a great selection of items.

1. How did you get started with your business?
Having a son with severe eczema as a baby/toddler was when we saw first hand the irritation that some ingredients in so called "natural" commercial products could cause. Listening to him cry as we put on the lotions recommended by the doctor led us to look for truly natural alternatives. It was my mum who first introduced us to Shea Butter and using it on our son was when things started to get better. I remember the nurses in the dermatology clinic commenting on how soft his skin was. That was 15 years ago now - long before we started making soaps and creams ourselves - but something we have never forgotten! When we moved up to Scotland about 15 years ago, Haluk worked for my Mum and Step dad who had their own soap making business, Thistle Soaps. When they retired and sold the business he went on to do other things. Then a few years ago he decided that he wanted to get back to soapmaking and start his own business. It's great to be able to share what we've learnt and to be able to offer customers an alternative choice which is gentle and ethical, vegan and free from chemicals & artificial ingredients.

2. Why is being plastic free so important to you?
Green has always been my favourite colour but I first went from loving green to going green when I was in my late teens in the 1980s. That's when I met a vegetarian for the very first time. I soon became one myself and started making more ethical shopping choices. That was over 30 years ago and my green journey has continued since then. Buying 2nd hand clothes, cutting down on plastic, recycling & reusing as much as possible, using eco friendly household products and toiletries, becoming vegan...these are some of the things I've done because it feels right. When we started the business there was no question that we would need to focus our efforts on trying to create as little waste as we can – and that includes being as plastic free as possible. I used to think that recycling plastic was enough but after seeing the news reports of mountains of our plastic waste which had been sent to other countries to be recycled, I realised that it isn’t enough. We need to avoid using it in the first place.

3. What is your favourite item to sell?
At the moment my favourite product is our Shea Butter & Argan Whip with Geranium and Patchouli. I use this organic cream on my hands, face and body. I love it because it makes my skin silky smooth but also because the essential oils in it are wonderful to calm my mind and balance my emotions when I need a little help! It is no surprise that it is one of our best sellers.

4. What would your one tip for reducing plastic easily?
Well, I think one of the easiest things to do is to swap shower gels, liquid handwash and bottled shampoos for soap and shampoo bars. Of course, as a soapmaker I would say this!!! The advantage is that it doesn’t just cut down on your plastic, if you choose bars which are natural and organic, it also reduces the amount of irritating chemicals that you are putting on your skin and hair and you may find that your skin is much happier after you have swapped.
I believe that everything that we do, however small, makes a difference. It's important that we stick to our principles, do what we can and be an example for others. Having said that, no one is perfect and it’s hard to cut out single use plastic when there is so much around. We should do what we can but mustn’t be hard on ourselves if we can’t do it all.