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Wellington's first plastic-free shop has opened and it's already created a buzz in the town.

Open Mondays to Saturdays from 9am to 5pm, The Blue Pantry on Fore Street sells food by weight and allow customers to re-fill their containers.

The owners, Gary and Kate Todd, were inspired to open the new store after visiting a similar outlet in Devon and became concerned with the plastic on the country's beaches.

The eco-friendly store is among 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 and Taunton's Lesser Litter.

Here's seven things you need to know about the store.

There's plenty of food options

The environmentally friendly shop sells food stuffs, ranging from grains, cereal, flour, sugar, nuts and fruit.

If you want a healthy snack, you can sample some banana chips, mixed peels, apple rings or apricots.

You can even buy coffee beans and a range of tea bags along with whole or semi-skimmed milk.

One obvious omission is meat but you cannot get bread or vegetables.

Feel free to bring your own containers but don't worry if you need more

It is the central point of The Blue Pantry to cut out wasting plastic but sure you bring containers that can hold food.

This can be jars, plastic containers or cotton bags.

I would recommend bringing a bag for life too so you don't end up struggling to carry the food out of the shop.

If you don't have any containers to hand or want another tub of muesli, you can use their free paper bags or buy one of their cotton bags or glass jars.

It's hands on shopping

The whole idea of plastic-free shopping is filling your own jars and tubs with what you want.

At the beginning of the shop, use one of the scales to weigh your containers, note the weight and find what food to buy.

If you want some bran flakes, just pour the cereal into your tub until you have enough.

You can use scoops to place sugar, banana chips, nuts or tea into your containers or fill clean bottles with milk.

When you're happy with what you have, walk over to the till for a shop assistant to weigh your goods and take payment.

If you are confused or need some help, Gary or Kate are willing to show you how to use the dispensers or answer a question.

It's DIY shopping - but be careful

It's certainly a lot more hands on than your typical supermarket trip as you pour food into your containers from labelled dispensers, pots or jars.

Collecting milk, nuts, fruit snacks or sugar is very simple but the larger dispensers carrying rice, pasta, cereal, beans can be tricky if you're not careful.

If you want for example, some oats, just hold your container or bag close to the dispenser and slowly let the food trickle out.

It's spacious and very accessible

The Blue Pantry follows a very slick and minimalist design with a wooden aesthetic and 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 across its two rooms, customers can pass by each other and it doesn't feel at all crowded.

Even if you have a wheelchair, pushchair or trolley bags, it isn't an issue at all.

You can suggest new things

Walking around the environmentally friendly shop, you can see there is room for new products or more food.

And it's for good reason as Gary and Kate want to sell more items but require customers' help first.

Simply tell the duo what you want to see stocked or changed and the couple will see if there is enough demand for a new feature or food.

The Blue Pantry aims to stock more household goods like washing up liquid, laundry liquid, fabric softener and soap in the near future.

The Blue Pantry is already building a good reputation

Speaking to customers inside the shop, they appear to be loving the zero-waste store.

One shopper told Somerset Live she liked that she can buy the quantity of food she wants, as opposed to a set amount.

Another customer said: "This is the second time I've been here. The first time I was here, it was to check it out and I liked what I saw.

"Now I'm back with my tubs and keen to try out shopping here."

Gary said The Blue Pantry is for "all of Wellington" and believes the store is already creating a strong community.

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

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