A GROCERY with more than 100 years of history is moving with the times as it cuts down on plastic packaging to help the environment.

The Salad Bowl in Winter Hey Lane has been specialising in fresh, locally sourced fruit and vegetable boxes since the site began hosting a greengrocer over a century ago.

The Salad Bowl has been a family run business for 40 years and is now updating its packaging — aiming to go completely plastic free.

Freya Thornton has been working at The Salad Bowl for three years with her husband, mum, dad and a small, but dedicated team of staff.

Ms Thornton says the decision to go plastic free for the environment has been met with praise by the community.

Ms Thornton said: "We have made a decision that we will no longer be selling packet peppers in the shop only.

"Due to them being in packaging, we will be selling loose peppers. Packets will be available for wholesale customers if needed."

She says that the shop has always tried to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Ms Thornton added: "We have always used brown bags but there has been a great response now people are starting to know we are using less plastic."

The staff member talked about the shop's plans to go entirely without plastic, saying: "All the veg and fruit will eventually be out of plastic packaging, so we will be thinking of alternative ways of making sure everything is still packaged without the plastic."

The Salad Bowl team have been using packaging they already have to come up with new ways of providing customers with their five-a-day.

Ms Thornton said: "This shop has been here for over 100 years and has always used paper bags, that's nothing new for us, but we now recycle cardboard boxes which we use for deliveries instead of plastic bags. People bring back our egg boxes so they are recycled.

"We will just be slowing stopping plastic and using recycled products only.

"We are also using pots of ice to store the herbs as they are normally in plastic too.

"Anything that is in plastic we are have, or will have, a solution to make sure that in the end we are 100 per cent plastic free — we are at 85 per cent at the moment."

Staff at The Salad Bowl are hoping that other businesses will follow their lead and find ways to cut down in the use of plastic to help the environment.

Ms Thornton added: "I think it's good to make sure we cut down on plastic as a community and as businesses for to the whole environment."

Find out more about The Salad Bowl at https://saladbowlhorwich.co.uk/about-us.