The battle to banish single-use plastics has moved to the next level in Burntisland with the launch of a zero waste bulk food refillery.
Grain and Sustain allows shoppers to stock up on cupboard staples without the plastic packaging.
Customers bring their own jars and tubs to the High Street shop to fill with products including pasta, rice, oats and wheat.
Owner Louise Humpington, 39, said the store was the first of its kind in the area with a full range of more than 40 refill bulk foods.
She hopes it will appeal to both those trying to reduce plastic waste and older customers who remember buying their food this way in the past.
Former lawyer Louise, a mother of two young children with a third on the way, said: “We did a lot of market research beforehand to assess the commercial viability.
“The critical thing from a market point of view is this isn’t a niche market, it’s a multi-generational market.
“Lots of older people remember shopping like this; in the 1970s it was pretty standard.
“You have a new generation of young families who have a genuine interest in leading sustainable lifestyles.
“Our ethos is to help educate people to make informed choices on their spending decisions, encourage sustainable lifestyle choices and help support people to reduce their plastic consumption and carbon footprint.”
Louise and husband Will, a climate change adaptation specialist, have a background in environmental campaigning but for those starting out on their zero waste journey she said the aim was to make sustainable shopping as easy and as cost effective as possible.
Grain and Sustain also stocks toiletry refills, including shampoo and conditioner, oils such as coconut and almond oil so people can make their own, and a range of handmade and ethically-sourced treats, crafts and gifts.
It operates a corporate social responsibility programme and will support local initiatives and raises funds for Surfers Against Sewage and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
