BELFAST appears to be embracing its first 'zero waste' store, with one of its founders describing the response in the first month as "amazing".
The Refill Quarter, on Belmont Road in the east of the city, sells a range of groceries, cleaning products and toiletries but without disposable packaging.
Instead, customers bring their own jars, bags, containers and even pillowcases and fill up with the amount they need.
Alice Wilkinson, who founded the shop with friends Susan McEwen and Phillip Rankin, said they could never have predicted the response since opening in September but believes they have 'caught the wave' of environmental awareness, especially in relation to single-use plastic.
"The BBC documentary War on Plastic really showed that recycling plastic isn't really the solution... the best way is to reuse," she said.
"And we have had the Greta Thunberg movement too and the focus on climate change. There is such social awareness of the environment now.
"I think people were ready for somewhere like this to open. We did it on a hunch but we got lucky because the timing was right."
The shop may be the first of its kind in Belfast but sustainable shopping is a growing movement, with London, Birmingham, Leeds and Cardiff among other cities to have such stores.
The most popular food stuffs to date among Belfast customers include pasta, rice, coffee and lentils but leading the way is freshly ground peanut butter.
A grinder converts the dry, roasted peanuts into a choice of consistencies, with the finished product emerging as spreadable peanut butter.
Liquid for washing machines is also a big seller with a 200-litre barrel used within three weeks.
Like all their produce, the liquid is environmentally friendly, does not contain harsh chemicals, and, says Ms Wilkinson, is the same price as standard supermarket brands.
"A lot of older people are comparing the shop to the scoop shops of years ago, so it's not a new idea," said Ms Wilkinson.
"And it's not just about packaging, it's about avoiding food waste as well.
"Because customers only buy what they need, there is less wastage. We get people who bring in a huge container for porridge oats or someone who just wants 300 grammes of flour or two tablespoons of a particular spice.
"We also have a donation library where people can bring in their spare containers for other customers to use".
Toiletries include deodorant in a bar and clay-based toothpaste and, like many of the products, both are made in Ireland.
"It's a whole different approach and it is a transition. Not everyone is ready for it and it will be a slow change, but a change all the same," said Ms Wilkinson.
"We have been contacted by schools and businesses wanting to find out more about what we do and already people are asking when we are going to open in other towns."
