How a zero-waste stall on Altrincham Market is inspiring change in its local community

A zero-waste stall on Altrincham Market is inspiring change and building awareness of environmental issue in its local community.

Rachael Wong created One Small Step in April in response to the current plastic crisis.  Her aim is simple – to help customers on their way to a lifestyle that does not contain unnecessary waste and, ultimately, to reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in our oceans or in landfill for centuries to come.

The response from the public has been so great that in only three months the size of the space and the range of products available has doubled – great news for the local environment and for the planet as a whole.

Rachael set out with the belief that the shopping experience should be fun, interesting and educational. She wants customers to leave feeling good about themselves and their purchases and hopefully encourage others to do the same.

One Small Step stocks a wide variety of unpackaged pantry goods including pastas,
 grains, cereals, healthy snacks, personal and home cleaning products such as washing-up liquid, laundry detergent, surface cleaner, shampoo, conditioner, body wash and more, which are part of a range of refillable goods.

There is also a large selection of reusable and biodegradable lifestyle products like water bottles, bamboo toothbrushes,
 beeswax wraps, shampoo bars, laundry soap-nuts, metal straws, lunchboxes and much much more.

The majority of products are organic and all of them are cruelty-free and
designed with a healthier planet in mind.

“At One Small Step we want to change the paradigms around how we consume,” says Rachael. “We want to think outside the box and help the local community realise how convenient and easy a zero-waste lifestyle can be and also to introduce all of the alternatives to single-use plastic that are out there. Many people will be pleasantly surprised by the vast amount of alternatives so readily available to us all.”

One Small Step is trading in Altrincham Market on Tuesdays, Thursday, Fridays
and Sundays from 10-4pm and Saturdays from 9-4pm.

One small step for mankind: one giant step for Rachael.