At a time when society is growing more eco-conscious than ever before, a rise in zero waste shops across the UK looks to help people reduce their waste usage where possible.
You may have only heard of a ‘zero waste’ shop in recent years, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been around for a lot longer. Yes, it’s a phenomenon that is relatively new to mainstream popularity, but aiming to minimise the environmental impact of consumer habits is something that has been on the minds of people across the country for decades.
Now, someone on Reddit has made a custom map to show where all of the zero waste shops are located across Greater Manchester and those eager to cut back during lockdown, all whilst supporting independent businesses local to them, are loving it.
So, what is a zero waste shop then?
Well, the name does a good job of giving you an initial idea, but to offer a bit more of an explanation, a zero waste shop provides a place for people to shop whilst knowing their impact on the environment is as minimal as practically possible.
Customers will often be able to shop for fruit, vegetables, grains, spices, pasta and even cosmetics / toiletries / household products. Everything is sold in bulk and absolutely no plastic packaging is allowed. Shoppers bring their own reusable cloth and glass / plastic containers to carry the food, or buy reusable containers at the store and then when they’re done, they take their products home in paper bags, or bags brought themselves.
Many zero waste shops will also buy their stock in bulk quantities and store in either reusable, recyclable or returnable packaging too, so it’s not just the consumers contributing to waste cut-down.
That’s not all though as there’s also mentions of a few additional stores that haven’t been featured on the map from other users in the Reddit comment thread too.
These include Ancoats General Store, Stretford Food Hall, Groceries & Beer in Sale, Waterhouse Quality Food Market in Cheadle Hulme, The Sustainable Shed in Levenshulme, and Replenishery in Leigh to name just a few, so if you’re looking for the closest zero waste shop to you, then it’s definitely worth having a browse through the comments as well as checking the map.
You can view the map and read the full Reddit thread by u/dalphee here.
News
More than 100 ‘unsafe’ counterfeit Labubus seized in Oldham
Daisy Jackson
More than 100 counterfeit Labubus and accessories have been seized in Oldham, the council has announced.
The Labubu dolls – a plush collectible with giant smiles and bunny ears – have been seized because they are fake, and unsafe.
The haul of 104 Labubus has been given a street value of between £800 and £1000 – but if they were the real deal, they’d be worth more than three times as much.
The poorly-made figures were being sold for a fraction of the price of a real Labubu, which are manufactured by Chinese company Pop Mart (it’s set to open its second Manchester store in the Trafford Centre next week).
Oldham Council’s Trading Standards team said it seized the counterfeit Labubus from local businesses and found that they were unsafe and poorly made.
Officers raised concerns about the safety of the dolls, which had small parts such as eyes, hands and feet broke off easily, creating a choking hazard.
What a genuine Labubu should look like. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
They were also missing legally required safety marks such as the CE or UKCA labels, and lacked the name and address of a UK supplier, which is another legal requirement.
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Oldham Trading Standards carries out regular checks to help keep unsafe products off the shelves. In this case, these counterfeit toys failed safety standards and have now been removed from sale.
“We know it can be tempting to buy toys that look like a bargain, but parents need to be extra careful. Fake toys like these may be cheaper, but they can put children in real danger if they’re not made to strict safety standards.
“If anyone has concerns about toys they’ve purchased, or if they see unsafe products on sale locally, we’d encourage them to get in touch with Trading Standards through the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”
Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer
Emily Sergeant
A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.
Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.
Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.
Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.
First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.
The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)
Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.
The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times.
Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road.
Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained.
As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.
The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.
“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”
You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.
Emily Sergeant -
11th June 2020 
