Greener groceries: will they cost the earth or save it?

Lucy Watters of Weigh to Go says customers have to make fewer trips to recycle bins. Picture: Jon Savage

Scotland on Sunday compared ten staples that could be bought either from major retailer Sainsbury’s or an eco-refillery on Edinburgh’s Leith Walk.

And while the analysis found all except muesli, basmati rice and washing-up liquid were more expensive to purchase at a “scoopermarket”, environmentalists claim that small changes in behaviour – such as cutting out single-use plastics and choosing ethical products – can make a big difference.

Jill Farrell, chief operating officer at state-backed Zero Waste Scotland, said: “Our mass consumption of resources is killing the planet, but we all have the power to reduce our carbon impact by buying products loose where possible or with reusable packaging.”

An increasing number of refilleries are popping up on Scottish streets, allowing shoppers to buy as much or as little as they require without any unwanted wrapping.

One such store is Weigh to Go, which opened on Leith Walk at the beginning of last year. Owner Lucy Watters was inspired to set up the enterprise after living for a number of years in Switzerland, where such outlets are more widespread.

She sells all sorts of loose foodstuffs – everything from flour, cereals, tea and coffee to dried fruit, nuts, herbs and spices, as well as oils and cleaning products.

Watters said people are amazed at how many fewer trips they have to do to the recycling bin when they start buying refills.

“I think a lot of people are concerned with the amount of single-use plastic being produced, but see cutting it out as a daunting challenge, but even refilling a couple of things instead of buying more can make a huge difference,” she said. Farrell said the bill paid at the checkout did not always reflect the true cost of a basket of shopping.

Pre-packaging means people are often forced to buy bigger quantities than they need, binning the extra. “Simply planning meals, making a shopping list and sticking to it can save us all a lot of money,” she said.

The shopping basket

Comparisons are with popular branded products, but since refilled items are sold by weight some are not exactly like-for-like

Refillery (unpackaged) Supermarket (packaged)

Plain white flour £2.50/kg £1.55/kg

Muesli £3.70/kg £5.30/kg

Demerara sugar £3.25/kg £3.00/kg

Loose tea £45.00/kg £20.00/kg

Basmati rice £3.00/kg £4.00/kg

Penne pasta £3.20/kg £2.00/kg

Olive oil £10.50/litre £8.50/litre

Free-range eggs £2.10/six or 35p/one £1.80/six

Shampoo £5.00/kg £3.10/litre

Washing-up liquid £2.20/kg £3.20/litre