This is zero waste hero Douglas McMaster from Silo restaurant, London. We dig Doug. We dig his radical vision for a zero waste food system. Silo has had an influence on what we’re trying to do at Fill Refill for a long time. We first found them by accident, on a day-trip to Brighton way back in 2015, out hunting for old records (shout out to the wonderful Record Album opposite the station). We headed straight through the giant black sliding hanger door – and were immediately taken by the bold, unapologetic, radical thinking… and the palpable feeling of creativity & imagination. We were inspired by ‘Bertha’, the urgency, the insurgency, the aesthetic… and the bread was insane! Since then I’ve watched Doug do Ted talks & short docs, cool collabs in NYC with Lauren Singer, launching his book, scooping restaurant awards and relocating to London.
Five years down the line & we got a call. Silo were looking for closed-loop bulk cleaning & care products for a new restaurant in London. We were real happy to help out & we’ve been supplying Silo & Doug ever since. He’s been real supportive of our products and the method of supply & helped with feedback & spreading the word.
We caught up with Doug recently… and because he’s one of our heroes in the world of zero waste we figured we’d ask a few questions about his blueprint, especially for zero waste week.
WHY FILL
Fill is the complete solution – for the home and the workplace. It’s a brilliant brand run by brilliant people!
WHAT IS SILO
Silo Is the world’s first Zero Waste Restaurant
HOW DID YOU WIND UP AT SILO
I was really fed up with fine dining and hospitality in general. That’s when I met an artist named Joost Bakker. Joost proposed the question “Could you not have a bin?”
WHAT MAKES SILO A COOL PLACE TO BE
The People!!! We have the best team of humans all fighting to the world a little bit better.
IF YOU WEREN’T RUNNING SILO WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING
Something creative… I gravitate towards the arts when I’m not preoccupied with administration
WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON
I would like to create a whole ecosystem to live in. A closed loop, independent future food system
WHAT STARTED YOU OUT IN ZERO WASTE LIVING
A vision of a pre-industrial food system that is designed to integrate with nature
HOW DO YOU ESCAPE
Running, Drawing, Reading, Adventures
BEST MOMENT
The Silo 10 Year anniversary was huge for me
A VALUABLE LESSON
Change is hard & Progress is messy
RECOMMEND SOMETHING
ONE PLACE WE SHOULD GO SEE
Silo
WHO IS YOUR ZERO (LOW WASTE) HERO
Joost Bakker & Lauren Singer!
WHY
They are authentic, intelligent, kind, groundbreaking people
THINGS YOU COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT
Creative expression
LAST SONG YOU CHOSE TO LISTEN TO
While my Guitar Gently Weeps – The Beatles
WHAT SONG WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD TO THE FILL CLEAN REPEAT PLAYLIST
Interview B – Death Grips
COOLEST REFILLABLE
Dehydrated Sunflower Seeds (makes amazing mince like texture)
HARDEST THING TO FIND ZERO WASTE
A ‘Sharpie’ replacement
In his book, SILO: The Zero Waste Blueprint, Doug encourages everyone to eat fresh & waste less. He has some righteous tips for making cool ferments, pickles, stocks, brittles, butters & ice creams. We liked it so much we decided to stock it in our shop.
Check out Zero Waste Cooking School, Doug’s new online zero waste cooking school.
Or visit Silo, London Britain’s first zero waste restaurant.
