A Pembrokeshire family is leading the way in getting rid of rubbish!

The Griffiths family from Sardis has put out just one black refuse bag for collection since Christmas.

Lucy Griffiths, a part-time solicitor and mother of three, said she and her husband Gareth decided to cut down on the amount of waste they produced last October.

"We simply decided to stop buying any item packaged in plastic where we could," she said.

"We started in the kitchen because that was where we found we were creating the most unnecessary waste and since then have moved onto bathroom products and other areas of the house."

As well as drastically cutting down on the amount of black bags the family produce, Lucy and her family have also halved the number of recycling bags they create.

And having carefully monitored their expenditure, they've also found that the cost of their weekly shop has gone down by a third.

"When I buy cheese and meat, I shop at the deli counters using my own Tupperware," she said.

"After checking internally the stores were all happy they could sell in this way, so after being weighed the produce goes straight into the containers and the barcodes go on the lids.

"I take a cloth or net bags to the grocer and have found that a clean pillow case is best for fresh bread. A local store also sells loose cereals, sugar, rice, and dried fruit etc again into my own containers, as well as refillable washing up liquid, cleaning liquid and fabric softener.

"It isn't so easy to cut down on plastic in the bathroom as there aren't many good quality shampoos and conditioners that come in bars. But the internet is a fantastic resource and I've managed to find a great supplier online. As well as being zero plastic waste, the soap sized bars last so much longer than a bottle of shampoo."

Lucy said that the hardest part about not buying plastic at first was the research and not knowing where to buy. But, six months down the line it was second nature.

"There are ways around most things so there's really very little that we go without.

"And now I know how to shop I can get the whole shop done in just over an hour, which is what it used to take me in the supermarket anyway."

She added that her children, who are four, five and seven, didn't really think about the changes in the kitchen or shopping.

"They still get lovely things in their lunch boxes and I get sweets and little chocolates into my own jars from a local sweet store for birthday and treats, so the kids are happy."

Clr. Ken Rowlands, cabinet member for environmental and regulatory services, said Lucy was leading the way in shopping smart to save waste.

"By using re-usable containers to carry her shopping she has managed to cut down the amount of waste she produces drastically and has shown that it is not a difficult thing to do.

"We should all try to take a leaf out of her book. By following her lead, we can reduce the amount of waste we each produce - which can benefit us all as a community."