Glass bottles and steel bins, anyone? A look at zero-waste stores that are making old shopping habits fashionable again
Every couple of days, childhood friends Jonah Fernandes, 29, and Eldridge Lobo, 28, set out to the local market in Goa with massive steel bins. They bring back chosen varieties of rice, pulses and millets, besides spices and flours, to stock at their venture, Ecoposro (posro means petty shop in Konkani). Located in the North Goan village Parra, the newly-opened store has a zero-waste policy in place — nothing will be packed in plastic and people will have to bring their own containers or buy a reasonably-priced reusable bottle or bag from the store.

The idea stemmed from the friends witnessing the effect of plastic pollution on their once-pristine neighbourhood. The stone quarries that filled up with water in the monsoon, and doubled up as swimming pools, held plastic waste. “There can be effective waste management, but tackling it at source is better. We wanted to be that change, with an enterprise that does not generate plastic,” says Fernandes, explaining how the idea was put to test a year ago at a restaurant that Lobo operated in Siolim. “We saw first-hand how much plastic we could reduce, but also how difficult it was to do that. We decided to help others live that kind of life, by making everything available under one roof. While we are zero-waste, we are not exclusively organic, because it pushes up costs. A social cause has to be convenient for people to adopt it,” he says. The store currently operates from a 200 sq ft garage and sees a daily footfall of about 10 returning customers who bring containers and new visitors. For edible flowers and farm-fresh eggs, head to Ecoposro’s organic markets. Details: 098235 50123

Cut to Chennai

At reStore, on ECR, the progress towards reducing packaging waste has been gradual. In its 11 years, it has moved from butter paper and plastic (following massive spoilage during the monsoon) to mostly no-waste six years ago. “The humidity did us in, especially with flour. We could not afford the losses and grudgingly went back to plastic. When we moved from a garage to a store, bulk vending became easy. Rice, millets and pulses are sold loose, and we have never pre-packed our cold-pressed oils. People bring glass or steel containers or can buy cloth bags,” says Radhika Rammohan, founder-volunteer of the NGO that runs reStore. They are hosting a workshop today on ‘exploring health and children’s food’. Details: restore.org.in, or call 24921093.

Bengaluru Diaries

Revolution in a cloth bag: zero-waste stores making old shopping habits fashionable again
Just two decades ago, most people carried their own shopping bags to stores that packed provisions in sturdy newspaper cones held together with pieces of string: a tradition that has faded away. While Ecoposro was started as zero-waste, other similar-minded stores across the country are in the process of getting people to re-develop the habit.

Courtesy By :- The Hindu