If you’re trying to cut down on your plastic waste, Zero Waste shops are the place to head!
There are loads popping up all around the UK at the moment, and Cornwall is no exception. If you’re not familiar with the concept, a Zero Waste shop (also known as a ‘refill shop’) is where you can buy many household and food items in bulk, or without single-use plastic packaging.
The amount of plastic packaging used in our standard food shops from supermarkets can be ridiculous when you put it all together, and a lot of it is totally unnecessary! We all know how awful plastic is for our environment (including the coastal areas and marine life we love so much in Cornwall), so cutting it down where we can with our weekly shops can be a great step towards cutting down our waste.
Below are five zero waste/refill stores you can find here in Cornwall:
The Refill Store – Truro
Lemon Street Market
Based inside the quirky Lemon Street Market, The Refill Store in Truro is open Monday – Saturday, 9:30am til 5:30pm, and stocks a large range of kitchen cupboard items in bulk. You can bring your own containers to weigh and then fill up with what you need (pay by weight), or use the biodegradable bags on hand. They also sell natural household cleaning products, along with plastic free alternatives to things like toothbrushes and cutlery.
Visit The Refill Store website to see what they stock >>
un_rap – Falmouth
Webber Hill (just off the Moor)
Advocating ‘waste free shopping at its best’, un_rap have a huge supply of organic, bulk-buy wholefoods and sustainable lifestyle products. Bring your own containers and away you go! They have an extensive list of what items they sell on their website so definitely give that a look before going there.
The Good Lyfe – Newquay
Fore Street
This shop sells ethical and plastic-free lifestyle products, including homeware, bath and body products, toys, books and travel items. As well as this, they pantry food items, snacks and more in bulk too, PLUS you can actually order from their online shop too to have it delivered to your home.
Visit The Good Lyfe website to see what they stock >>
ReFILL Shop – Bude
Belle Vue Lane
North Cornwall’s first refill shop was opened just this month! Everything from package free personal care and cleaning products, to a delicious array of kitchen cupboard staples is available in store at this new social enterprise shop.
Visit the ReFILL Shop website >>
Fill Good – St Austell
Par Market
This family run business has just opened up at the Par Market Food Hall and a wide selection of foods including pasta, rice, cereals, snacks, dried fruits and nuts, plus cleaning and toiletry products – all without single-use plastic packaging and at affordable prices!
Visit the Fill Good Facebook page >
Replenish – Wadebridge
Hawksfield
Replenish offers plastic free food options and affordable eco friendly products, in a very accessible location with its own free car park, making it super easy to bulk buy all your essentials!
No Wrap No Crap Zero Waste Hub – Liskeard
Pike Street
Eco friendly shopping offering unpack-aged dry foods including nuts, pasta, rice and grains, herbs and spices, snacks, chocolate and lots more.
Visit the No Wrap No Crap Facebook page >
Incredible Bulk – Mobile!
All around mid to south Cornwall
Cornwall’s only zero waste shop on wheels is here to help you reduce your everyday consumption of single-use plastic packaging! Visiting a range of locations across Cornwall from Sennen, Helston, and St. Ives, to Penzance, Perranporth, St. Agnes and more, husband and wife team, Jack and Gemma, can bring a range of bulk, packaging free food pretty much to your door!
Visit the Incredible Bulk website >>
This site looks great. Is there any bulk deliveries or bulk outlets in the Liskeard area?
Thanks Peter
I’m not sure I’m afraid! These were the only ones I could find with some research online but there may be more opening soon that I haven’t heard of!
Hi, Would you kindly add you to our list, we are just about to open our doors at the end of this month, Feb 2020, we are called “No Wrap No Crap Zero Waste Hub” in Liskeard town, and we are passionate about zero waste. Please contact us if you have any questions about our little shop in Pike Street, we have not yet got our website live, however you are welcome to check out our face book page that is steadily growing in visitors daily.
Hi Laurie, that’s really great to hear! I’ve added it to the list now :)
Hi Peter, we are just about to open the doors of our little zero waste refill shop in Pike Street Liskeard, hopefully all being well we should be ready by the end of Feb 2020. Please do check our face book page, where you will find all the information and more, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to give me a shout. We are looking forward to meeting you soon. Laurie & Alex
Theres now a zero waste shop in Hayle. Its just opened, wroth a look.
You can also get home cleaning refills and hair care refills at The Metta Centre in St Ives.
Replenish at Hawksfield Wadebridge is also a re-fill station
Ooh thank you that’s a great tip!
The longest standing refill store is Country Store Health Foods in Redruth , not even mentioned . They have been doing refills since the 70s , peanut butter and honey refills , now boasting over 200 refillable items from lentils to laundry detergent. Not every good business shouts about themselves on social media, may be further research would show an awful lot more than this list
Good Morning please look at http://www.ironandvelvet.co.uk 1 box of 5 antibacterial household cleaning sachets stops 5 plastic bottles going into landfill or the sea . 1 box of 5 sachets can be posted out with a second class stamp right to your letter box. A present to a friend a gift to the planet. thank you for your time Andrea