By Sara Valle-Martínez
A zero-waste shop in North London is doing its bit to reduce the use of single-use plastic on groceries by encouraging customers to buy in bulk instead of packaged items.
Kilo, a bulk shop in Holloway Road, opened in August 2020 after owner, Jordan Perata, 27, quitted her job as an interior designer. Sustainability was already part of her workplace when she started living zero-waste.
The shop sells unpackaged products and asks buyers to bring their own reusable bags and containers.
Perata, who was born in the UK but grew in California, said: “This business is my livelihood, so I care so deeply about it. When you’re buying something from a supermarket, God knows who’s touched it, how long it’s been in transport for.
“You don’t know what’s happened along the way and just because it’s in plastic, it doesn’t mean it’s safe or clean because somebody’s packed it.”
The government announced its plans to ban single-use plastic for cutlery and plates in November 2021 after the ban on single-use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds came into effect in October 2020. There are no plans for reducing the use of packaging for groceries, but zero-waste shops are opening around London.
The shop owner thinks the impact of the pandemic was beneficial for businesses like hers. She said getting groceries delivered in one go made people realise how much packaging they were going through.
Mary Duggan, 53, a health care assistant, said: “I like [buying here] because you can save money and help the environment. It just works.”
Sara Valle-Martínez 