SINCE the day she began trading zero waste household products in 2019, Maya has been counting.
On Saturday she celebrated the number of bottles her business, Maya’s Refillables, has reused, and what that means in terms of repurposed plastic and saved carbon dioxide.
On Saturday Maya revealed that she has been responsible for 127,000 refills – so far.
She and her customers, through their commitment to reuse plastic containers rather than buy new filled ones, have, in six years, saved the same amount of CO2 as produced by 18 transatlantic flights – that’s the same amount of carbon absorbed in one year by 1,140 mature trees.
It’s more than 4.7 tonnes of carbon, or the weight of three BMWs.
No wonder Maya was celebrating.
She was joined in store by Wokingham Borough Mayor, Cllr Adrian Mathers, Wokingham Town Mayor, Cllr Rob Comber, and a steady stream of loyal customers.
Three years ago Maya moved her small but successful Wokingham Market stall to Peach Place.
Originally she offered just 17 products – now she sells more than 400.
Customers Richard and Janet said: “It’s so much better for the planet to be able to reuse plastic bottles, and the store is very conveniently located in the centre of Wokingham, so why not come to your local shop?”
“Maya brings so much to the community, not only through her shop but in the way she reminds us how much there is that we can do to help the environment.
“She’s a positive force and we’re proud to support her.”
“The shop felt empty at first, but we’ve built up the range a lot,” Maya said.
Her vision and mission at Maya’s Refillables has always been to help break down ever more barriers to sustainability in every aspect of people’s lives, at home, work, school, charities, everywhere.
So she’s determined to make sure that being eco friendly doesn’t need to be more expensive.
“Some things are actually cheaper here, and that’s because we want the greatest number of people to be able to afford to refill, so that together we can eliminate plastic waste,” she said.
“A lot of people come to the till and think we must have missed some of their items, because the cost compares so well with the supermarkets.”
And her business ethos is to practise zero waste throughout her store.
“We refill too, exactly like our customers, otherwise, what’s the point?” she explained.
“All our empty 20 litre containers are taken away by the same vehicle that drops off deliveries, for cleaning and refilling by our supplier.”
Cllr Rob Comber said that he has been been very impressed by Maya.
“She took a gamble when she moved from the Market Place,” he said.
“It’s absolutely brilliant that her shop is successful and thriving, and I love what it’s all about.”
Cllr Adrian Mathers agreed.
“People really need to come to the shop and try the products, and if they like them, they need to keep coming back,” he said.
Maya’s Refillaables provides green jobs to local employees, and is influencing other companies to go greener.
Maya is an active member of managing committees helping to bring sustainability options to residents and businesses in the borough.
For information, visit: mayasrefillables.com
