Stock up on food with ZERO plastic packaging at this lovely minimal waste shop

There should be one of these in every town.
If plastic packaging drives you around the bend every time you do a grocery run, it might be time to consider making a monthly visit to Twig Refill, Clonakilty’s Minimal Waste Shop.
Located at The Olive Branch on Spiller’s Lane, the shop offers a delicious array of snacks, chocolate, fresh organic fruit and vegetables, with one important difference: the walls are covered in huge vats and drums of household necessities, from food to cleaning products.
Using your own containers, glass jars or a cotton bag, you can weigh out exactly how much of each item you need, weigh it and pay for it at the counter – no plastic necessary.
What’s more; the simple but genius concept means you can bulk buy grains, legumes, pasta, herbs and spices, while deciding exactly how much of each dried fruit or nut you need for a certain recipe so there’s no waste.
You can buy olive oils, apple cider vinegar, tamari and tea leaves and refill your favourite chemical-free household cleaning products, shampoo and natural skin care.
A wide range of refillable containers, coffee cups and canteens are available in the shop, so you can prepare your kitchen for your next visit. Even the potatoes come in recyclable paper bags.
Twig Refill is also a stockist of Who Gives A Crap toilet paper (50% of the profits go to WaterAid to build toilets and improve sanitation in the developing world), Warrior Botanicals’ excellent deodorant and dry shampoo, Moon Cups and various other sanitary products and the gorgeous range of shampoo bars by Wild Atlantic Soaps.
The shop is open from Monday to Saturday, 9am until 6pm, and there’s a full list of every product available here so you can make some notes before you head down.
You can even grab a West Cork Coffee, on tap lemonade or a kombucha while you browse.
Keep an eye on their Facebook page for upcoming talks and events.