A SHOP in Wotton under Edge has been hailed a ‘plastic free champion’.

Good Food on the Edge is a speciality food and drink store located on Long Street.

It opened in April last year and has never used plastic packaging.

Fruit and veg are sold as they are and paper bags and boxes are available to carry purchases home.

“Right from the outset that was really important to us,” said the shop’s owner Chris Hull.

Stroud District Action on Plastic (SDAP) was so impressed with the shop’s approach that they gave them a plastic free champion award.

“Good Food On The Edge’s ‘plastic free champion’ award is one of 15 such awards we have granted across the Stroud district, and the first in Wotton-under-Edge,” said Chloe Turner of the SDAP.

“The shop is a fantastic asset to Wotton’s high street, enabling the local community to buy high quality fruit and vegetables plastic free.”

She added: “The plastic free champion award, which is given by SDAP in partnership with the marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage, recognises small and medium-sized businesses across the district which have taken positive steps to improve their plastic footprint, specifically by removing single use plastic from at least three places in their supply chain or workplace.

“It is part of SDAP’s work towards the district being awarded ‘plastic free community’ status by Surfers Against Sewage, a national scheme that requires input from local councils, businesses, schools, community organisations and individuals.

“We will soon be in a position to put forward our application for this accreditation, and hope to be the first district to do so.”

Theresa Boyle, who works at Good Food On The Edge said: “We were the first to win the award in Wotton but we know other shops are all doing their bit, such as Walker’s Bakery, who are using paper and cotton bags.”

See: transitionstroud.org/stroud-district-action-on-plastic/