Rhiwbina store, selling food and toiletries, will be plastic and chemical free
A NEW refill shop is opening in Rhiwbina and will be the first of its kind in the area.
Siop Sero will be located on Beulah Road, and looks to open in four weeks.
Owner Catherine Richards, 40, moved to Rhiwbina two and a half years ago, and became involved with local eco groups. This inspired her to reduce her plastic waste and live a more environmentally conscious lifestyle.
Ms Richards said: “It is so important to reduce our plastic waste. There are loads of plastic bottles used every day in the UK, and only a small percentage of these are recycled.
“Simple things can make a big difference.”
Ms Richards trained as a nutritionist, and worked in health foods in Australia for several years before returning to Wales in 2013. She has always wanted to open her own store.
Following a zero-waste lifestyle with her partner, Chris Snowden, 51, Ms Richards saw an opportunity to share this with the Rhiwbina community when a local shop was put on the market.
The not-for-profit store will sell food, toiletries and other items, including locally made products.
Customers will be asked to bring their own containers to fill with food, cleaning products and toiletries. Items will be sold by weight, with no need for any plastic packaging.
The shop will help make this way of shopping more accessible, and Ms Richards thinks it is better to make small changes than try to be perfect.
“If anyone says they are 100 percent zero waste then kudos to them. We just try to do what we can. Any improvement is a good thing.”
Catherine Richards
Ms Richards says that she wants to support local sellers and hopes to feature Cardiff-made products on a regular basis, without taking any profits.
Cardiff is home to several other zero-waste stores, including Ripple Living on Albany Road, Roath, which opened in 2018.
You can read more about Siop Sero on their Facebook page.
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