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Taunton's first plastic-free shop has finally opened its doors and already caused a buzz in the town.

Lesser Litter, based on Paul Street, sells food and home products by weight and allows customers to re-fill their own containers.

The owners, Kate Robertson and her partner Pete Hope, hope the outlet will give Taunton residents an "opportunity to shop with a minimum amount of waste" and be "the missing piece" in the town centre.

The eco-friendly store is one of the first in the South West to take a completely zero-waste approach, with The Zero Waste Shop in Totnes being the first, followed by another in London.

Somerset residents will not have to wait much longer for another one either, with The Blue Pantry to open soon in Wellington.

But with the spotlight on waste more so than ever, it's only a matter of time before more shops all over the country follow suit.

As it's the first of its kind in Taunton, we took a look around and did a spot of food shopping there to get a flavour of it.

Where is it and what are their opening times?

The zero-waste store is based on Paul Street opposite Taunton library.

Lesser Litter will be closed on Mondays and Sundays but open 10am - 5.30pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays.

The new shop will operate from 10am until 7pm on Thursdays to allow customers take advantage of the free parking available after 6pm and visit the store after work.

What does it look like?

Simply put, it is a very slick and minimal store.

Lesser Litter follows a wooden aesthetic with its floor, shelves and tables which combines well with a light colour scheme.

Some business owners love to fill their stores with too many shelves and products, but it isn't the case here.

Products are spread out nicely, customers can pass by each other and it doesn't feel at all crowded.

The store's giant glass window is a great feature. Curious passersby can virtually inside the entirely of the store and lead them inside to learn more.

Overall, it's a very welcoming and friendly shop.

What can I buy?

The environmentally friendly shop will sell food stuffs, ranging from grains, cereal, honey, flour, sugar, nuts, fruit and oils.

You can even buy coffee beans and a range of tea bags or even apple juice to wet your appeitite.

Common home products, like washing up liquid, soap and sponges are up for grabs in case you need a top-up.

The store plans to sell local milk as well as cider - that's if the alcohol licencing application is approved.

Customers simply pour food into their containers from labelled dispensers, pots or jars.

Shoppers will be able to bring their own tubs or can even purchase some from the outlet.

What can't I buy?

One obvious omission is meat which is understandable for an eco-friendly shop. You cannot get bread, either.

But I was surprised with the lack of vegetables. There definitely is the room for an assortment of vegetables but I get the feeling that the owners are listening to customer feedback before possibly implementing this in the future.

You can't pop in for snacks but a note near the cereal dispensers says that chocolate treats will be coming soon.

What did I buy?

I took my containers of varying sizes and browsed the shop to see what items I could buy.

In the end, I filled my tubs with cornflakes, porridge oats, wholegrain penne pasta, banana chips and some lavender laundry liquid.

How did I find buying food?

The process involves weighing pots before and after you have filled them up with food and printing two separate stickers.

It was confusing at first but once I labelled my first container, I got the hang of it.

You also hand your priced tubs at the till to either pay by cash or card.

I would advise shoppers label all of their containers first, fill them with what you want, then come back to apply the priced labels.

It's definitely an unique shopping experience and simple when you think about it.

How much did it cost?

The shop came to £5.84 altogether which I think is fairly priced and offers some competitive pricing.

The most expensive item was the laundry liquid but the heavenly smell alone was worth the price tag.

In hindsight, I wish I had written a list of things I needed to speed up the shop or swapped the more pricey items with more cost-effective produce.

Organic banana chips - 60p

Wholewheat penne pasta – 0.61p

Organic porridge oats– 0.54p

Laundry liquid - £2.41

Organic Cornflakes - £1.68

Final thoughts

It was a really positive experience. The staff were friendly, happy to show you how to work the scales or listen to feedback.

Everything was clearly labelled and the dispensers were simple to use.

Saying that, I did have a nightmare with the porridge oats - the grains came out too quickly from the dispenser and spilled some oats on the floor.

Thankfully one of the staff cleared up my mess and even apologised as Pete believed it was the dispenser's fault, not my cluminess.

The shop was stress-free and not too crowded so even those who are socially anxious can enjoy a shopping trip here.

That said, it is not a quick shop due to labelling your containers before and after you pour food into them.

You couldn't possibly do your entire weekly food shop here but if you need more pasta, cereal, drink or soap, you're more than covered.

I would happily visit this store again.

Do you have a Taunton story you would like to share or to investigate? Get in touch: michael.taylor@reachplc.com or 01935 709742.

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