Shop in Tickhill starts eco-filling station to reduce plastic waste

But The Village Pantry, on Bawtry Road, is going a step further in its sustainability efforts, becoming one of the first businesses in Doncaster to have an ‘eco filling station’/

This means instead of buying products wrapped in plastic, people can bring their own containers into the shop and fill up on household necessities such as washing up liquid and fabric conditioner.

Owner Sarah Kiahau, aged 39, said: “We set up in the area two months ago, there was no-one else in Doncaster doing it.

“I thought in the beginning it would be just my vegan customers who used it, but it’s not it’s really blown up.

“Even the pensioners are using it.”

The shop allows people to bring in their own containers and stock up on products such as pastas, spices and herbs.

Sarah continued: “This is just the start.

“I have a lot more to learn.”

She hopes to move her business into bigger premises in the near future.

The shop already stocks products to help people reduce their plastic waste such as plastic-free cotton buds, toothbrushes and toilet roll but Sarah wants to do a lot more.

“We don’t need to use as much plastic, every little counts,” she said.

The ‘no waste’ movement is small but growing, with more people concerned about the amount of plastic polluting the planet.

Sarah’s journey started when her husband was diagnosed with diabetes.

She wanted to cook him healthy, low carbohydrate meals, but when she went to the local supermarket to purchase ingredients she was taken aback by just how much packaging items came wrapped in.

She’s now on a mission to provide an alternative shopping method.

Veganism is also a key part of The Village Pantry with half of the products in store now free of animal products.

Everything from vegan pizza to sausage rolls and jerk chicken pasties are on sale in the shop, most of which is sourced from The Vegan Baker in Barnsley.

Sarah said: “We had people coming in with vegan diets and I hated having to say ‘We have nothing for you.’

“So I did some research, looked at all the sites and now it;s just gone boom.

“There are so many vegan products our there and it really opened my eyes.”