Mum bids to open zero waste produce shop in Milton Keynes

Karen Jouet already runs a mobile pop up shop called My Refill Market that sells local produce and organic food from large containers.

People fill their own containers with what they need, then weigh them and pay.

Karen has found premises in MK and is trying to raise £12,000 to get them equipped.

The money will be used to help pay for shelving, counters, a custom shop sign and equipment such as scales, jars, scoops and food bins.

Karen set up her mobile shop business in May last year and operates from Wolverton Community Farmers market and Stony Stratford Timor Court market. She also has a pop up at On The High Street store in Stony Stratford.

She said: “As a mum of three, I always have been concerned about the environment and the kind of world our children will inherit in just a few years time. Buying plastic-free in Milton Keynes had always been a challenge, so eventually after years of hunting for zero waste options I got fed up and decided if no one else is doing it then I'll just do it myself! That's how My Refill Market was born.”

She said the business had been growing with more and more customers buying from the mobile shop every week.

“Thanks to a very good support from our customers, the local community and local businesses, we are now ready for a permanent shop...Our aim is to bring a plastic-free alternative as a new way of shopping with local produce and organic food staples to Milton Keynes.”

Already Karen's appeal has raised more than £4,200.

You can donate here.

Karen is offering customers a series of reward depending upon how much they donate.

She said: "Buying from your independent and local zero waste shop is your way of voting to say 'I don’t need all the single-use plastic that you are inflicting to us consumers and I prefer to support my local zero waste shop by doing my food shopping with them plastic-free' - this is your chance to make it happen."