To celebrate plastic-free July, we wanted to showcase the different plastic-free refills we have available in-store at Wild Oats Bristol.
Reducing your plastic use doesn’t need to be complicated. Choosing making one or two swaps is always a great place to start. Just remember, little changes can still have a huge impact.
-
![]()
Ecover
- All purpose cleaner
- Delicate laundry liquid
- Fabric softener
- Handwash
- Laundry bio
- Laundry non-bio
- Toilet cleaner
- Washing up liquid
-
![]()
Faith in Nature
- Bodywash
- Conditioner
- Handwash
- Shampoo
- Hand & body lotion
- Laundry liquid
Unbranded
- Distilled malt vinegar
-
![]()
Ecoleaf
- Laundry detergent
Alter/native
- Conditioner
Delphis
- Glass & stainless steel cleaner
What bulk foods are available at Wild Oats?
-
![]()
Dried fruit, nuts & seeds
-
![]()
Muesli & oats
-
![]()
Rice & pulses
A few words from Mike Abrahams - Wild Oats co-founder
History of the bulk foods rooms
“We first saw bulk bins in Holland in the 70’s and immediately recognised their advantages of reduced waste, by buying only as much as you need at the time, reduced cost and waste because of lack of packaging and labelling, and the ability to earn discounts when buying in larger quantities.
Our first bins were a development of the ones we had seen in Holland and were a hit from the start. At the time, without competition down the road, students came up from the university, from the Old Vic Theatre School in Clifton and Redland College (as was), delighted to find that they could buy the smallest quantities to tide them over, thereby saving sorely needed cash.
This applied to other walks of life too, and very soon we recognised the need to provide a wider range, and so a second set of bins was installed, to be followed by a third bank later as demand grew.
Originally the bins were designed to accommodate the size of sacks that we thought we needed to meet demand, while ensuring a good turnover to keep things fresh. In those days, before Health and Safety, many items could be delivered in 50kg sacks, which reduced their cost per kg and so the lower bins were built to accommodate these.
Other bins were designed to take 10kg quantities and the rest were for 5kg fills, basically to ensure good turnover. Over time, sales began to fall, mainly due to increasing competition but also due to changes in public culinary habits and so quantities and product ranges have developed to meet changing demand.”
What else can you do to reduce plastic waste?
The UK can't cope with all the plastic waste companies are producing, so it's being dumped on other countries where it's harming people and wildlife. Tell our government to fix our plastic crisis in a way that doesn’t harm people - or the planet.
– Greenpeace.