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A tack shop in Berkshire is leading the way in reducing plastic waste within its local equestrian community.
Mel Jones, owner of New Threshers Barn in Thatcham, told H&H that wasteful packaging is a “real bugbear” of hers.
She wanted to do something to counteract the amount of plastic her customers were throwing away, so is now offering refills on fly spray, so fewer bottles will be used, while customers will save money.
“The amount of packaging we throw away really bothers me, and I had a bit of a brainwave,” she said.
“I thought, ‘Why aren’t we refilling fly spray bottles?’ I can’t believe more people aren’t doing it.”
Customers can refill their one-litre bottles from larger containers of the same product for £5 less than if they bought a new bottle the same size.
“If just 10 of my customers do this over the summer it will save around 100 bottles of fly spray,” said Ms Jones, who hopes to introduce further measures in the future to help reduce her impact on the environment.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Hoof oil and horse shampoo refills are also on the cards.
“We have all of these tubs of supplements, pots of treats, plastic bottles of shampoo, and even hoof oil brushes and sponges wrapped in plastic,” said Ms Jones.
“It’s just waste upon waste. Companies need to think about what they’re putting their products into and make it clear whether or not the packaging is recyclable.
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Rachael joined Horse & Hound in 2014, initially as a digital sub editor then became part of the news team as a writer in 2015. The philosophy graduate studied journalism at the Press Association before working as a local reporter at the Brentwood Gazette. Rachael is now a mum of two and still loves all things equestrian, including hacking, dressage and jumping with her cob Bert. Rachael left the H&H staff to go freelance in June 2019, but still contributes to our magazine and website, as well as our sister magazine Country Life, among others.