[S]hap Chippy has taken the current drive to reduce single-use plastics to heart and acted on it.
Assistant Manager Dal Dawkins said “As a parent, protecting the environment is really important to me and I was delighted last year when we changed from polystyrene boxes to Bio Boxes. They’re made from sugar cane waste and are not only biodegradable but compostable.”
Shap Chippy has now managed to source replacements for almost all the plastics usually used by take-away shops. “There is a cost implication” said co-owner Jo Hampson “but we think it is worth it. We have found paper straws, full size wooden forks, compostable cups and lids as well as paper carrier bags; we are introducing them all as we finish old stock.” Their aim is to reduce plastic single-use items and Jo hopes that even more customers will bring their own bags and cups.
There is a growing commitment from suppliers to independent take-aways to reduce the plastic waste. As demand has grown the price for biodegradable and recyclable items has started to come down. Many plastic items are still cheaper and are seen as more convenient which is slowing the transition to plastic-free business. Jo’s partner, Georgina Perkins says “The charge for plastic carriers has reduced their use enormously. What I would like to see now is an incentive to use environmentally-friendly packaging – zero VAT on such items for example.”
Jo Hampson confirms Shap Chippy’s commitment to the transition: “It’s not just what our customers can see. Behind the scenes we have dramatically reduced our use of plastic bags, cling film and bin liners. We are now using old paper potato sacks for our rubbish and we use re-sealable boxes for food storage.”
