All businesses that have completed my Plastic Free Campaign questionnaire – showing that the business is working to phase out single-use plastic on site – are shown below.
The Listing alphabetically details all the businesses who have responded, plus a brief explanation of their ethical status to date, plus the challenges they face in trying to reduce non-recyclables.
It is both interesting and disturbing to hear so many reports of items that cannot be recycled (such as tin-foil used by hairdressers and food outlets, and the polystyrene/bubble-wrap/plastic packaging materials used by suppliers) and the distress this causes individual businesses. My hope is that in identifying the issues we all face, we will be able to work together with the local council and our suppliers with a view to changing things for the better going forward…
We now ask YOU – the consumer – to show your support for these Plastic-Free Pioneers!
You have the power to make and encourage change, and change has never been more badly needed than it is now.
Supporting the PLASTIC FREE CAMPAIGN are:
Adrienne Wroath Jewellery
26 Holyrood Street, Newport www.adriennewroath.com
I only offer paper bags with jewellery purchases and for any wrappings, and endeavour to run the business as sustainably as possible. I designed the shop with upcycling in mind, and utilised salvaged wood to create a natural and welcoming atmosphere for my displays. No plastic cups or utensils are used on site, and I am very interested in signing up to the SAS “Plastic Free Communities” project.
CHALLENGES FACED BY ADRIENNE WROATH: Companies send their products to me wrapped in plastic, but as many of the goods need to be kept air-tight this is difficult to get around…
Available Light Gallery & Gifts
23 St Thomas’ Square, Newport www.availablelight.cc
The only carrier bags we use are biodegradable ones but we now use paper bags in all sizes for our products too. Larger bags used to be a problem, but we have managed to source some now. We occasionally have to use bubble-wrap for delicate items, but use paper packaging as much as possible instead, and only use bubble-wrap where absolutely necessary. All our lighting was replaced with LEDs a few years ago. We are taking part in the Green Impact scheme and have requested further information on the SAS plastic-free scheme.
Caffe Isola
85a St James Street, Newport www.caffe-isola.co.uk
we are almost entirely single-use plastic free, but for chilled drinks bottles and cup lids. We use only “vegware” and recyclable materials for our salad boxes, and have eliminated plastic straws completely. We have been awarded SAS “Plastic Free Champion” status, and have even held a promotional evening for SAS on the premises. We are participating in the Green Impact scheme.
Dragonfly
80 Upper St James Street, Newport
We use mostly paper-based wrappings/bags, but still use bubble wrap for some delicates. However, this is bubble wrap sent by suppliers or passed to us from other shops and re-used by us, not a product that we actually buy in. We are also working with another local business to reuse the unwanted paper wrappings they are sent with products to wrap our own products. We are awaiting SAS “Plastic Free Champion” Status having completed the assessment, and we are participating in the Green Impact scheme (currently at Silver level) and encouraging other local businesses to do so too.
CHALLENGES FACED BY DRAGONFLY: The unwanted and excessive plastic packaging used by our suppliers
ERMC Ltd
128 Pyle Street, Newport www.ermc.co.uk
As building Design Consultants, we regularly have clients on the premises. There is no requirement for bags and/or packaging, and we ONLY use china for refreshments (cups, mugs, plates). We hold a yearly review of the ISO 14001 “Behaviour and Targetted Improvement Strategy” to see what other environmental improvements can be made by the business, and we will be looking into the Green Impact scheme now. We have heard of the SAS “Plastic Free Communities” Scheme and requested more information.
Farmhouse Fayre
Upper St James Street, Newport
Some fruits & vegetables are pre-packed in cellophane bags, and these bags are also available to customers selecting loose items – so it is up to the customer whether or not to use one. Carrier bags are available but only by request. We often have paper bags available too, and encourage customers to reuse their own bags where possible. However, more than 75% of our fruit/veg is sold loose and therefore free of ALL packaging materials, and we offer free cardboard boxes at the tills to use instead of carrier bags. We offer a lot of in-season fruit and vegetables grown locally, which means that they are fresher and have a much lower carbon-footprint than imported goods.
CHALLENGES FACED BY FARMHOUSE FAYRE: Plastic bags are still needed on site because paper is not strong enough for some fruit and veg. The cost of recyclable/biodegradable bags is prohibitive for smaller businesses like ours.
Gift to Nature Shop
12 Holyrood Street, Newport www.gifttonature.org.uk
The shop helps to support the cost of our many local conservation and environmental projects. We are already working hard to encourage a single-use-plastic free future (come and try our zero-waste and animal-friendly solid soaps, shampoos and shaving bars!), and we also strongly support the re-use of plastics/wrappings. To this end, whilst customers in our shop are offered paper bags with their purchases, we also re-use the plastic bags that items are donated to us in. We also re-use the plastic pots from the plants we sell. We are looking into the Green Impact scheme and have requested further information about the SAS Plastic Free Communities scheme, and are constantly on the lookout for items produced without plastic or plastic wrappings.
CHALLENGES FACED BY THE GIFT TO NATURE SHOP: It is very frustrating that even some of the “environmentally friendly” items we stock come to us wrapped in plastic! Greeting cards are also cellophane wrapped individually so that they are less likely to be damaged. Whilst we do our best to stock plastic-free items, suppliers inevitably do not abide by the same ethos!
God’s Providence House
St Thomas’ Square, Newport www.godsprovidencehouse.com
Although most of our business is as a tea-room/restaurant, for which china or metal crockery/utensils are used, we do also offer a takeaway service. In this instance paper bags are used for food packaging (no plastic bags), and takeaway drinks are provided in paper/card cups with plastic lids. We are working to eradicate plastic useage where feasible, and have requested further information about the SAS Plastic Free Communities Scheme.
Live Wire
44 Orchard Street, Newport
We do not offer any bags with purchases, or utilise plastic utensils or drinks facilities. There is unavoidable Manufacturer’s plastic packaging materials with the household appliances we sell, but these are passed to a licensed waste collector for responsible disposal.
CHALLENGES FACED BY LIVE WIRE: The amount of polystyrene packaging we have to dispose of (from household appliances) is very unsettling, but there simply is not a workable alternative for our suppliers as yet. We would love to see a compostable material used in the future (similar to the compostable vegetable-matter “chips” already available) for large-scale packaging.
Love Running
50 St James Street, Newport www.love-running.com
We do not use plastic bags, packaging or utensils in the shop. In 2018 we replaced the fluorescent lighting tubes in the windows with energy-efficient LED lighting, and in the lockdown of 2020 we managed to replace almost all the fluorescent tubes on the shop-floor too. We have been awarded SAS “Plastic Free Champion” status and are the creators of the Plastic Free Campaign. We participated in the first Green Impact scheme and were very proud to win a Gold award for this in 2019, plus a Special Award for the Plastic Free Campaign!
In 2018 Ronhill launched a small range of clothing made from recycled plastic. This range has grown in since, and we are very pleased to be stocking many of these items. We also stock Buff, Giraffe and Zeropoint who all use 100% recycled plastic yarns for their products.We also stock USB rechargeable head & chest torches, arm-lights & safety bibs to cut down on battery waste.
CHALLENGES FACED BY LOVE RUNNING: Clothing is rarely made in this country, and each item is therefore packed individually for cleanliness during travel by the producers. Many of the bags used these days are recyclable, but how much of this is actually recycled by local councils we just don’t know. Most packaging materials are now biodegradable
Master of Disguise
6-7 Watchbell Lane, Newport www.masterofdisguise.co.uk
Whilst we still offer plastic carrier bags to customers who need one in our Fancy-dress emporium, we are very passionate about excluding single-use plastics. To this end we have signed up to the “Terracycle” scheme and are now official collectors of the following items which would usually go into landfill: biscuit wrappers, crisp packets, sweets/confectionery wrappers, toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and baby food pouches. We also take used and broken pens. All these items are sent by us to Terracyle and guaranteed to be recycled into other items by Terracyle partners.
We have requested further information about the SAS “Plastic Free Communities” scheme.
CHALLENGES FACED BY MASTER OF DISGUISE: Unfortunately most of our stock comes from China and is pre-packed in plastic. It is also then packaged with more plastic for transportation!
Peach Vegan Kitchen & Zero Waste Shop
89 St James St, Newport, PO30 1LB www.peach-veganzerowaste.co.uk
All our bags and food packaging materials are paper or compostable, and we only use reusable/paper/compostable utensils and cups in the cafe. We also operate a paperless card terminal with an optional email receipt function. We insist on zero plastics regarding our zero-waste store, however the catering side of our business is more difficult. We are constantly looking for alternative products, packaging and delivery methods to further reduce plastic in our kitchen, much of which simply involves talking to suppliers to develop a zero-waste version of their existing product/service.
We have requested further information about the SAS “Plastic Free Communities” scheme.
CHALLENGES FACED BY PEACH: Whilst we had seen a gradual move away from plastic packaging in the catering industry in recent years, the increased focus on hygiene since 2020 (Covid pandemic) has forced many suppliers to take a step back in this respect. This makes it more difficult for businesses such as ours to source products which fit our ethos and priorities.
The Plaza Ices Ltd
45 Solent View Road, Cowes, PO31 8JZ www.theplazaices.co.uk
Most of our ice-cream/ice-lolly products come in paper packaging, and we have made the environmental decision of eliminating certain products that only came in plastic wrappings. Some companies still supply plastic spoons with their ice-cream products, but we have now introduced our own compostable spoons for everything else. All our drinks are now in cans or Wight Crystal bottles, and we no longer supply plastic drinking straws. We have requested information on both the Plastic Free Communities campaign and the Green Impact scheme.
New for 2022: We are very proud to have moved over to EDIBLE ice-cream tubs now and have eliminated plastic ones completely! We have actually sold 15,000 edible tubs this year, and are donating left-over stock to a local school this Christmas.
CHALLENGES FACED BY THE PLAZA ICES: Some companies still supply plastic spoons with their single-serve ice-cream tubs, and we very much hope this will change.
Take 2
67/68 St James Street, Newport www.take2hairandbeauty.co.uk
We provide only paper and recycled plastic bags to our customers. We offer refreshments to clients, but only in china cups/mugs. Most hair & beauty products involve plastic bottles, and many of those bottles are labelled as “recyclable”, but as we know that only a small percentage of recyclable plastic IS recycled, we are liaising with suppliers to initiate a “return & reuse” facility. We are also requesting less packaging with our supplies. Other environmental initiatives we have carried out include fitting energy-efficient LED lighting, economical shower-heads and an efficient hot water system. We are aware of the SAS campaign and Green Impact scheme, and have requested further information.
CHALLENGES FACED BY TAKE 2: The amount of plastic bottles we accumulate (from shampoos and hair treatments etc) is a source of worry, which is why we are liaising with some suppliers to see if we can return them for reuse. We also generate tin-foil which cannot currently be recycled as it is deemed “contaminated” by the council because the chemicals it has come into contact with. We would love to see a change to this principle.
The Bodyworks Clinic
Upper St James Street, Newport www.thebodyworksclinic.net
At our massage, beauty and nails clinic we do not buy any plastic bags to give our clients, though many are sent to us (unrequested) by suppliers. These are used as we don’t want to waste them, but most of our clients no longer ask for a bag. Some of our delicate products are sent to us in bubble wrap, but this is taken and reused by another local retailer. Refreshments provided on the premises are always in glasses or china cups – we do not use any plastic cups or utensils. We are taking part in the Green Impact scheme (currently at Bronze level) and have requested information on the SAS scheme.