During my teens, my family had an inside joke that my mom would be a billionaire if she were paid for all the bags she saved to reuse when shopping. Knowing the struggle our planet faces with plastic pollution, my mom's efforts to reuse plastic bags instead of discarding them was her best attempt to repurpose the bags but not the more sustainable approach.

One of the first things I did when I moved to Australia was to start buying most of my groceries in the closest bulk shops bringing my own jars in order to break my family's tradition of saving bags. However, without having a car, this was such a challenging task. Sometimes I had to travel more than once to get all the products I needed.

Experiences like mine are what inspired Precycle Pantry. This business aims to make plastic-free shopping a new normal for everyone by allowing people to buy plastic-free groceries in one place close to home or have them delivered.

The pandemic inspired many of us, including Caro, the founder of Precycle Pantry, to take up our projects. Those projects we are always dreaming about doing when we have more time. Caro always wanted to start a business that contributed to a healthier planet. Since shopping sustainably has always been her passion, she came up with the idea to make it easier for people to do so. This is how Precycle Pantry came to be.

Exactly how does it work? You can buy your groceries from Pablo The Van if you live in Melbourne's western suburbs. Caro and her husband use Pablo to do community refills around Melbourne's west. In other words, Pablo visits your street or a park in your neighbourhood and refills your products on-site. There are also options to order online from the variety of plastic-free goods that Precycle Pantry offers, or you might be lucky enough to bump into Pablo The Van at a farmers' market in your area.

Customers often ask Caro about her business name, Precycle Pantry. You may also be wondering what precycling is, but it is the practice of avoiding the acquisition of unnecessary items that will eventually have to be recycled or discarded. This includes but is not limited to buying goods in bulk to reduce packaging waste and buying only what you need.

While Precycle Pantry is starting up, they already have big plans. The biggest goal is to run a carbon-neutral business one day using 100% renewable resources and offset their carbon footprint.

Check Precycle Pantry's website for updates or follow them on social media if you want to build more conscious shopping habits. https://www.precyclepantry.com.au

A mobile and plastic-free pantry