Zero waste for (almost) zero effort on the Isle of Wight

I don't think I'm being unfair in saying that the Isle of Wight is often a few years behind the rest of the country. You won't find an Uber driver on the Island, the only trainline is using carriages from the 1930s and - as previously discussed - the first escalator didn't arrive until the mid-90s (now a B&M Bargains in Newport if you're interested in history).

It seems the Isle of Wight isn't so far behind in the realisation that we are choking the planet with our desire to wrap everything in plastic and then chuck it into a great big pile.

There are several people attempting to make the Isle of Wight a more environmentally-friendly place. Mrs Guru has been making some zero waste changes at home and has been hinting that we should highlight some local businesses who are big on sustainability. So here goes:

• Rapanui Clothing is perhaps the highest-profile Isle of Wight business when it comes to sustainability, or whatever the current buzzword is. The Freshwater-based fashion company says that their clothes are "designed to be sent back to us when they're worn out. We make new products from the material we recover… again and again"

• Peach in Newport is a new 'vegan kitchen and zero waste store'. You can eat a vegan brownie in the cafe and then fill up your own tubs with things like cereals rather than buying plastic wrapped bran flakes from Sainsburys.
• Earth Conscious is an Island-based deodorant company which specialises in natural ingredients and non-plastic packaging. Stockists include Healthy Indulgence in Cowes, which also does lots of refills of shampoos, washing up liquid etc.
• Wight Apothecary is an online producer of smelly things for your house, beeswax wraps and natural firelighters for getting the barbecue going. The idea of a beeswax wrap is that it replaces clingfilm and can be re-used for several months.
• Isle of Wight Soap Company is an online store selling things like 'Eco Starter Kits' which include bamboo toothbrushes and cotton buds.​

If you know of other local businesses which are aiming to use less plastic (or run one yourself) please give them a mention in the comments section below - this list is only intended to be a starter for 10 rather than a directory. 

There's also a Facebook group called Journey to Zero Waste Isle of Wight which has more than 1000 members and has lots of ideas for avoiding plastic on the Island.

And finally, if you're interested in such things, take a look at the work of the Ellen Macarthur Foundation which is based in Cowes. They're one of the leading organisations for creating a 'circular economy' and work with some of the biggest companies in the world.