A PLASTIC-FREE, zero-waste shop is set to open its doors in Wellington.

The shop, called The Blue Pantry, will soon provide the town with a unique shopping experience.

Gary Todd, and his wife Kate, have lived in the town for 15 years, and hope to open the Fore Street shop, formally Paprika, at the end of July.

Mr Todd, 53, is opening the store in a career change that has taken him from working in mental health, to now working in retail.

Visitors will be able to bring their own containers to purchase groceries such as flour, sugar and rice. The store will also have a 'wet' section where cooking oils and washing detergents can be bought.

"It all started when my wife visited a shop in Totness, and we thought, why don't we do this in Wellington," he said.

"I was working as a manager at Wellesley Hospital before, so I've always been in business. It's about good customer servce and knowing what people want."

The couple are nature lovers and regularly go hiking and kayaking, but say recently they have noticed how plastic is blighting the countryside.

He added: "I hate going to supermarkets. Plastic has a purpose but it's everywhere, now.

"We hope that people can upcycle their plastic to get more use out of it, as well as making use of our cotton bags."

The town's reputation for nurturing independent stores also inspired them to open.

The pair hope the shop can evolve as they learn what their customers want. Mr Todd hopes he can explore options to provide dairy products and even a sugar-free pic-n-mix station.

"Once we get a better understanding of people want we can explore our options," he added.

"The idea is that people can come and get their ingredients here, then go to the greengrocers for their vegetables, then to the butchers for their meat if they eat it."

Mr Todd said while he knows he cannot compete with supermarket prices, he hopes customers will see the value in what he is doing.