New Zero Waste Store Invereco Opens In Greenock

A new ‘zero waste’ shop has opened in Greenock’s West Stewart Street to encourage shoppers to ditch the plastic.

InverEco is now serving shoppers a wide range of foods that can be weighed and packed into their containers, saving a huge amount of packaging and waste.

The business offers refills of dried food items including nuts, seeds, teas, coffee beans, herbs, spices, baking sundries, toiletries, kitchen goods, and household cleaning products.

Launched by Inverkip resident, Gillian Bott (pictured above), the ethical retailer is now able to welcome walk-in customers following the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions. Over time, the store will be looking to arrange a click and collect service, possibly along with a delivery service.

Gillian has committed to being environmentally friendly from a very young age and has taken inspiration from other re-fill shops across the UK.

The concept of the InverEco was drawn up before lockdown, with her experience in retail bringing a unique charm to the business as it begins trading.

InverEco is working alongside a variety of national independent suppliers and producers, with its range growing each week following feedback from customers.

Reflecting on achieving the long-term ambition of opening the store, Gillian said:

“It is fantastic to finally open after the difficulties of Covid-19 and trying to find the right premises for my idea. I would like to thank Bowman Rebecchi for their support with the letting of the shop.

“Ethical household goods are just some of the things InverEco has to offer. Unlike most supermarkets, we offer goods packaging-free, or at the very least, plastic-free.”

Dried foods can also be sold in any amount to customers, so if only 100g is required for a recipe, it can be dispensed as 100g, rather than having to buy a 500g pack out of the supermarket.

Gillian hopes that this will help to cut down on the use of single-use plastics, as well as cut down on food waste by allowing customers to buy only what they need.

“This isn’t a new concept, but over recent years, the zero-waste movement has become more popular as more and more people become aware of environmental concerns and the impact of individual actions.” Gillian continued.

“InverEco offers a happy and welcoming shop, and we cannot wait to meet all our customers”.

Bowman Rebecchi Director, Andrew Bowman said:

“InverEco is a fantastic and welcome addition to the retail mix in Greenock town centre and something which we are sure will prove to be very popular.

“We’d like to wish Gillian every success with the new business and premises and urge locals to support this environmentally friendly concept.”

InverEco is based at 31a West Stewart Street in Greenock and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 09:30 to 17:30 and on a Sunday from 10:00 to 16:00.

For further information on InverEco, click here.