Bittu John is an young engineer-turned grocery store owner who has a big message for shoppers unmindful of the environmental damage caused by plastic, especially its one-use incarnation.

“Bring your own containers to the shop and join the fight against plastic,” he says about the concept shop that he runs in Kolencherry town. He was in Kakkanad on Wednesday to interact with a group of people who wanted to know more about reducing plastic use. The programme was organised by the Thrikkakara municipality as part of its zero-waste drive.

He says that buying daily supply of grains, cereals and other products, including dish washers and toilet cleaners, in containers cuts down plastic use drastically. According to him, about 90% of the plastic waste that end up in public spaces or at collection centres come from these sources.

Mr. John says that bringing one’s own containers to buy products also save money for the shopper. He cites the example of a brand of flour where the buyer can save up to ₹30 a kg if the shopper used containers brought from home instead of relying on the packaged product.

He claims that the response to the concept is enthusiastic. There are even people who come all the way from Ernakulam to shop at Kolencherry, he says. “These are the people who are aware of the harm caused by plastic and want to cut down on its use.”