8 amazing places to do your plastic free shopping in (and around) Totterdown
Hairy Jayne headquarters is based in south Bristol in an area called Totterdown. Bristol is a very sustainably minded city, and it boasts one of the highest number of zero waste shops in the UK. The people of Bristol have embraced plastic free shopping and are definitely on board with reusing and refilling their containers.
As a small business and as individuals, we are concerned with plastic pollution and how it’s contributing to climate change, so we try to shop plastic free in our daily lives as much as we can. We feel very lucky to be able to shop plastic free for a lot of our everyday food and groceries right here in Totterdown. And have a lot of choice within walking distance, too.
Lovely Totterdown, between Victoria Park and Perret's Park
Of course there are still some items that are hard to source plastic free because alternatives to their plastic packaging aren’t readily available yet, like cheese for instance. Drinks are easy as plastic bottles can be avoided by choosing glass or aluminium packaged instead. We have a weekly oat milk delivery by independent local business Tiger & Float in old-fashioned style returnable glass bottles.
Thankfully, there are a lot of things that you can buy either package free or in paper based packaging near Totterdown
As we own a zero waste hair care company with plastic free packaging as one of its main priorities, having so many other small businesses nearby that allow for conscious shopping is a godsend. Being people who are very busy refilling bottles and making shampoo bars, we don’t always have the time to shop and cook. Thankfully most of the eateries that offer takeaway lunches in Totterdown use plastic free packaging that’s either paper based or easily compostable!
Our own plastic free shop in south Bristol
Our zero waste refill shop in Totterdown, called Bloop, is focussed on plastic free shopping. We opened Bloop to offer people in our area a way of shopping where plastic is reused (or rejected altogether) in order to reduce plastic waste. We sell our Hairy Jayne zero waste hair care products through Bloop, of course, alongside other refillable products that align with our brand that are used for cleaning. So people can refill their plastic washing up liquid bottles, laundry liquid, hand wash, body wash and other such liquids over and over again.
We have all manner of plastic free brushes, cloths, soaps, face wipes, sanitary items, loo roll, razors, dental care at Bloop too. Pretty much any plastic free bathroom swap you can imagine or anything for cleaning your house and belongings. So the obvious choice for us for cleaning products and personal toiletries is, of course, Bloop.
Besides Bloop (which we're counting as number 8), here are our 7 other local favourite shops for all our sustainable shopping (and eating) needs. Have your reusable cups, empty containers and cotton vegetable bags at the ready…
1. The Banana Boat
The Banana Boat has been on Oxford Street in Totterdown for over 30 years and is a traditional green grocers. It has a very eye-catching yellow frontage and is run by a friendly Sicilian family, making it a real hub in our local area. Most of the fruit and veg (and arancini!) is sold unpackaged (and can be put in paper bags if necessary) at reasonable prices which makes plastic free shopping for fresh produce feel like it should always have been this way.
instagram.com/bananaboatbristol
2. The Bakehouse
Next to the Banana Boat is a bakery run by two lovely sisters who bake the bread daily, and have unpackaged cakes and pastries as well as coffee for your reusable cup. They’ve also incorporated a well stocked pick-n-mix of dried fruits, crackers and nuts, so these tasty snacks and ingredients can be bought by the scoop from them.
facebook.com/BakehouseTotterdown/
3. Fox & West
Up the nearby Wells Road is a great deli called Fox & West. They also have a stand in front of the shop with unpackaged fruit and veg, plus a whole deli full of new and exciting products to suit vegans, people with various dietary requirements and people who just love whole foods and organic produce. They support a lot of small businesses and breweries from Bristol and the surrounding area.
4. Chi Wholefoods
Not exactly right on our doorstep, but only a 20 min walk away, is Chi Wholefoods. A mini organic supermarket nestled in an industrial area in Brislington, it has a wide selection of unpackaged organic groceries, wholefoods, superfoods, supplements and local artisan specialties at wholesale prices. They offer a veg box scheme throughout Bristol and Bath, too.
5. Hart’s Bakery
In an archway at Bristol Temple Meads train station is legendary artisan bakery Hart’s. They bake a delicious selection of homemade sourdough bread, pastries, pies and cakes. The “Saturday Bread” is phenomenal and it’s a great option for a plastic free takeaway lunch… as long as you arrive early enough!
6. The Bristol Loaf, Bedminster
A great pitstop on our longer dog walks to Bristol Harbour, the recently opened Bristol Loaf on Bedminster Parade near East Street is a bakery, cafe, takeaway, wine shop and small greengrocers all rolled into one. The huge space includes their organic bakery and coffee shop, Hugo’s Greengrocer (for plastic free veg), Two-Belly Cheesemonger and the Native Vine (an organic and natural wine shop). A brilliant place to shop sustainably and ethically in south Bristol.
thebristolloaf.co.uk/bedminster/
7. Zero Green
Also in Bedminster is Zero Green, Bristol’s first refill shop. Located on North Street, they sell dried foods by the scoop, plenty of groceries, refills and pretty much everything for a plastic free home. Owned and run by two friends, their mission is to empower their customers to “live an Earth-friendly, plastic free and zero waste lifestyle… to help minimise the use of packaging that is polluting this beautiful planet”. Hear, hear!
Do you have a green grocers or refill shop in your area? If not, you could always sign up to a local veg box scheme and order things like eco cleaning product refills online. It just takes a bit of research locally and online and a bit of organisation to get your ‘system’ up and running.
Follow us on Instagram for some plastic free inspiration for your zero waste hair care routine.