SU opens zero-waste shop

A new plastic-free, zero waste shop has been opened on the ground floor of the Students’ Union.

Students will be able to purchase wine, dried goods, and honey all without the plastic packaging which is frequently used in the sale of such items.

Lizzy Haughton, Students’ Union Activities Officer and brainchild of the shop said in an interview with Fuse TV: “Currently, this is our experimental fortnight. We’ve got dried goods, spices, re-usable containers, metal straws, and bamboo toothbrushes. We’ll have anything that fits into the zero style.

“We’re putting together a programme of events in the new year. So that’ll [include] talks on food waste, cooking demos on how to use up leftovers in your fridge, and workshops on reducing plastic consumption. We’re also going to try set up a zero waste month challenge for students.

“By 2050 we’re set to see more plastic in the oceans than fish so we seriously need to start thinking about reducing our consumption of plastic rather than the ‘band aid’ solution of improving recycling.”

Recently, scientists warned that the world has just 12 years to prevent a climate catastrophe. Haughton has been active in climate protests throughout this semester, with a roadblock of Oxford Road last month causing chaos along Europe’s busiest bus route.

Students are welcome to write suggestions on a whiteboard in the shop, which is set for its full launch in January 2019.