NOW OPEN!! A store that does not contribute to waste build-up
The interior of the store sporting products which do not contribute to waste buildup
A new disposal company eyes behavioral change when it comes to the treatment and disposal of refuse. The Zero Waste Store, probably the first of its kind in Guyana was opened recently. Owner Alana Bunbury-Walton is hoping that it will make a difference in the lives of people and forster much needed change.
The store which is physically located at Lot 46 Garnett Street, Georgetown features lots of dry goods such as greens, nuts, seeds, rice, coffee, oils and a line of detergent from the ‘Tidy up’ detergent brand.
“The concept behind this is for it to minimize waste basically. So we’re trying to reduce the amount of plastic that’s in the environment,” Bunbury-Walton explained “We encourage customers to come with their jars and to refill any of our products,” Bunbury-Walton told BIG Smith News Watch
All of the products in the store are eco-friendly. A casual browse around the store and you will find dish brushes, bamboo toothbrushes, soaps, steel straws, and other items that are environmentally friendly. The larger containers that are featured in the store have been imported and the smaller jars were obtained locally from Guyana Marketing Corporation.
Explaining how she came up with the idea, Bunbury-Walton said: “It was out of concern for the amount of plastic waste we have lying around. Take a look around the seawalls, downtown Georgetown, there’s a lot of plastic.”
Dispensing jars being used by the store to allow hands-free services in a time of Covid
The young entrepreneur noted that the authorities do not yet have a plan in place for recycling as she expressed hope that they will soon come up with one.
Bunbury-Walton is also hoping that her store will help customers realise that a very real problem exists regarding the disposal of waste in the country.
“It’s just something that I wanted to do and I invested heavily into it hoping that customers will realise that we do have a problem with the way we dispose of waste and they would buy into the idea,” she said.
While it may not be easy at first to make lifestyle changes in this department, Bunbury-Walton is confident that it can be done.
“People might think that it is difficult for them to buy into this but it really isn’t. You just have to pick one thing and stick with it until it becomes a habit and then you move on to something else. For instance, when you go to the supermarket, take your own bag.”
The store can be reached on telephone number 647 5333.
Meanwhile, a number of supermarkets had in the past agreed to minimise the use of plastic bags, including Bounty Farm, Mattai’s, Survival, Budget and Distribution Services Limited and Massy.
Failure to recycle plastic bags and containers, along with poor disposal, often result in pollution which in turn contributes to flooding. When these plastic materials enter the drains, rivers and oceans, they also affect marine life.
