Eats

You can now get zero-waste, refillable wine and beer from this Leeds store

You can now get your favourite wine and beer on tap- and limiting its environmental impact at Bottle Chop in Headingley, Leeds.

Sophie Smith - 21st December 2021

Bottle Chop opened up on a small plot in Headingley just a few weeks ago, but the micro deli, bottle shop and bar has big plans to help the planet.

Believe it or not, your wine bottle is probably not as eco-friendly as you think it is- even if you put it into the recycling after it's been used.

Glass bottles are best reused. / Image: Bottle Chop

Officially, glass is one hundred percent recyclable and never loses any purity of quality when its reused, so this means that we can keep reusing and recycling for as long as we can. But what happens when it smashes on a roadside or behind the back of the bar? Those pieces that are left behind will usually end up in the black bin.

According to ISM, the average glass bottle will take approximately one million years to fully decompose, meaning we will never fully get rid of all the glass we use, or smash.

To counter the effects of single use glass on our planet, Bottle Chop, a new micro deli and bottle shop in Headingley have come up with a creative solution.

The selection of refillable booze. / Image: Bottle Chop

The company are selling their house wines and IPAs using reusable glass bottles. Customers purchase a glass bottle at £5 each and can refill it as many times as they like, all they need to do is return to the store once the bottle is empty.

With choices like Red Abruzzo, Rosso Montepulciano, a delicate purple red; White Sicilian Ciello Bianco Catarratto with pink grapefruit and White Touraine Guy Allion Sauvignon with elderflower, gooseberry and summer fruit available, there's sure to be a wine for every palette.

Beer drinkers can also choose from Deya IPA (6.5%) or Polly's Talus Pale Ale (5.6%) at £9.50 per litre to take away. All bottled drinks are available to sample in store as a schooner, glass or pint, as well as a 'sneaky taste' for those wanting to choose their drinks and get on with their afternoons.

You can grab a bottle in store. / Image: Bottle Chop

As Bottle Chop point out:

"This means less waste, less recycling, less going to the bottle bank with an embarrassing amount of bottles... I mean, you can’t do that in Sainsbo’s can ya?!"

We can't fault that.

The store from the outside. / Image: Bottle Chop

If you want to get your own refillable wine and beer, or browse the extended collection of unusual drinks at Bottle Chop, visit them in their Headingley store, or any queries can be answered via Instagram.

Feature Image- Bottle Chop