PACKAGING

At Plaw Hatch, we care deeply about the environment. Recently, the effects of plastic production and packaging have come to the forefront as one of the most detrimental of human impacts on the natural world. There are a few areas where we use plastic on the farm, and one of our main aims for the future is to reduce this as much as possible. Certain areas are more challenging than others, and we invite engagement from the community on initiatives.

Milk Bottles

Our reusable glass milk bottles are a big part of our packaging promise. We include a 50p deposit on the bottle which you are refunded when you return them. Our bottles have seen many uses, only being replaced when the wear and tear gets too much. 

Paper bags

A majority of our fresh produce is sold loose. We do provide paper bags in the shop for our customers to use, however we encourage you to bring your produce to the counter loose. Paper bags may seem better for the environment, however they require a lot of water to produce, and often people only use them once. We encourage you to use them as many times as you can before they fall apart, or not use them at all! Annually, Plaw Hatch spends over £4,000 on paper bags alone. With your help, we can reduce this, and invested the money in reusable yoghurt pots!

Yoghurt pots

This is a main area of strife for us. The dairy team dream of a day when we can sell yoghurts in reusable glass pots, like our milk. However there are some very expensive requirements to meet in order to make this dream a reality. If we can reduce where we use packaging elsewhere, such as paper bags in the shop, as well as raise enough funds, this initiative is top of the list. As of 1st July 2020, we have added 10p to all our products sold in plastic tubs (yoghurts and cream.) We estimate we can raise £300 a month from this, and this will be directly invested in the infrastructure required to make reusable glass jars a reality.

Plastic bags

Some leafy vegetables such as kale are robust enough to withstand not being stored in plastic. However, our salad packs contain delicate leaves which like to wilt if not kept in plastic. We have looked into alternatives such as compostable bags, however these unfortunately reduce the life span of the produce hugely and are also very expensive for us to provide. We’re not the only ones who take issue with plastic in food packaging; several companies are doing research into production of bags that don’t cost us the earth. We’re constantly keeping an eye on any developments, and when there is a viable alternative, we’ll be first in line. In the meantime, why not save your plastic bags from going in landfill and reuse them for buying your produce instead of a paper one?

Organic Cotton Bags

We sell organic cotton bags that you can buy your produce in if it’s too small (turmeric) or too much (all the milva potatoes) to buy loose. They’re a great alternative to single use paper bags as you can store your veggies in them and wash them when they get grubby.