It is only normal that during the current situation we worry about all manner of reuse habits. Many of our actions that might have been considered environmentally virtuous just a few months ago now invoke the same kind of germaphobic fear response as a public coughing fit.
The COVID-19 crisis has provided us all with an opportunity to reflect on our lives, our society and the kind of future we want to build. Whilst there are less cars on the road and much fewer planes in the sky creating hope for our climate, the rise of single use plastic seems to be on the increase again as we choose disposable items over reusable ones through the fear of the spread of infection. However, why is a plastic package that has been touched many times throughout its life cycle (production, transport, retailers, other customers) any better/cleaner than a reusable item that has been cleaned/sterilised, especially if this reusable item has been cleaned by yourself. We are fooled into thinking that wrapping something in plastic is somehow more sanitary, whereas in fact that plastic packaging is still being touched many times throughout its journey to you.
Regardless of how long the coronavirus epidemic lasts, the problems of environmental degradation, climate change, and plastic pollution will still be with us when it ends. Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle says, "don’t take coronavirus as a sign you need to give up your vintage clothing habit or avoid shopping at a package-free store. That’s really important for the environment to do, and we shouldn’t suddenly forsake that because of all the fear around this particular issue."
We want to highlight the many precautions and safety measures we are taking to fill you with confidence that shopping with us is safe so that we can all carry on our plastic free mission during this Covid-19 crisis:
1. Scoop Wholefoods UK have a specific Covid-19 cleaning schedule, which includes cleaning all the scoops regularly throughout the day, cleaning the containers, cleaning door handles, surfaces etc.
2. All our staff wear masks at all times.
3. Everyone must use hand sanitiser upon entering our store and everyone must wear a face covering while shopping in our store.
4. If you prefer to not wear a face covering, kindly use our online shop.
5. We remain cashless.
6. Only 6 people in Bristol and 8 people in Bath are allowed in the shop at any one time.
7. Although we are now allowing you to bring in your own containers again for refills, we kindly ask you to ensure that they are thoroughly cleaned before doing so.
9. We kindly ask that you only pick up items that you intend to buy.
