GROW HQ opens new sustainable refill store 'Larder'
Pictured at the brand new Refill Store at ‘Larder’ at GROW HQ in Waterford is Cloda McGrath
GROW HQ is the home to Waterford's first brand sustainability refill store “Larder”, which could transform people's recycling and buying habits.
The store encourages people to buy and use sustainable products as an alternative to harmful plastic purchases that end up in landfill.
According to Grow It Yourself (GIY), an estimated 1.2 million tonnes of plastic go to waste each year in Ireland.
Larder supplies household essentials, including organic cereals, nuts, seeds, rice, sugar, pasta, oils, herbs, spices, dried fruits and vegetables, flours, chocolate, purees and sauces, all sold in refillable containers.
Soon, there will be organically grown seasonal fruit and veg, grown by GIY at its market garden on the Curraghmore Estate and sold loose or via a weekly veg box order.
All products at Larder are sold without a container, so customers can bring their own containers to buy refill products. These containers can include cleaned out pasta jars, kombucha bottles or empty cleaning detergent bottles.
Customers in need of a container can buy from a range of 1L, 1.5L, or 2L, spice jars, and milk bottles of 1L and 0.5L. or use one from the store’s free “container library” made of reused and donated containers.
Founder of GIY Michael Kelly said: “I think most of us are horrified at the amount of unnecessary packaging on products that we’re bringing into our home so this has been a long-held ambition of mine to be able to make low-waste options more widely available.
"While recycling is the answer for many people, we actually only recycle about *15% of annual household waste, so really prevention is the most important way of ensuring that single-use plastic doesn’t become a long-term pollutant."
Michael added: "We hope that this becomes the new norm for many people; as our recycling rates are desperately low, we have to contribute to the solution by changing our habits as consumers, and that not only affects your personal waste footprint but also encourages producers and companies to give solutions because they see people wanting plastic-free options and solutions.”
The Larder at GROW HQ is open from 9 am to 5 pm Wednesday to Sunday.
