These environmentally-conscious stores make it easy to shop sustainably in Leeds.
If you want to do your bit to save the planet, why not ditch the supermarket and check out these zero waste shops in Leeds? They’ve banished single-use plastics and work hard to prevent unnecessary waste, helping you to live more sustainably. You’ll find everything you need from cupboard essentials to beauty products, fresh veg and even sustainable art supplies. That means you can stock up, reduce your plastic consumption and support your community, all at the same time – what’s not to love?
Bramley Wholefoods and Eco Shop by ecoTopia
Bramley Wholefoods and Eco Shop is a zero waste shop run by Michelle Arthur that’s tucked away in the Bramley Centre. A few years ago, the Leeds mum had her eyes opened to the damage single-use plastics cause and decided to live more sustainably to help save the planet for their kids, so she set up ecoTopia which runs the Bramley store.
The way the shop works is simple – bring your container, weigh it, then fill it to the brim with household essentials. They have everything from fruit cordial to nuts, coffee, dried fruit, sweets and spices. It’s not just food either – they also have an array of sustainable toiletries like natural shampoo and bamboo toothbrushes. On a budget? Their prices are low, with 100g of rice costing as little as 33p, so you can do an eco-friendly shop without breaking the bank. They do subscription services too, from bars of soap and dishwasher tablets to snacks!
Bramley Wholefoods and Eco Shop, 23 Bramley Centre, Bramley, Leeds LS13 2ET.
The Refilling Station
The Refilling Station prides itself on supplying low-to-no waste groceries, so you can do your weekly shop with a clear conscience. It’s the brain child of Kirsty Dodds – when BBC Look North challenged her family to go plastic-free for a week in 2018, she became passionate about reducing waste.
Soon after, she opened The Refilling Station so that others in her community could shop locally and sustainably. Rice, pasta, noodles, oats, dried fruit and seeds – they sell everything you need to keep your pantry well stocked. Just bring your own jars (or buy theirs), fill ‘em up using the dispensers, weigh and pay. This is a Yorkshire business through and through, so you can also expect a tempting range of locally-made products on the shelves, including speciality coffee from Third Wave roasters and delectable jams from Blueberry Hill.
The Refilling Station, 176 Harrogate Road, Chapel Allerton, Leeds, LS7 4NZ.
Waste Not
Credit: Tilly Hawkins
Waste Not is an eco-friendly shop run by the Hawkins family. They have two venues for you to visit – one nestled in Ilkley and another in Burley-in-Wharfedale – and each of these rural gems are packed with plastic-free goodies. The team are a friendly bunch, with loads of tips and tricks up their sleeves to help you make more sustainable choices.
It’s whole foods galore here – they have huge dispensers filled with nutritious lentils, beans and grains as well as antioxidant-rich dried fruit, like cranberries and mango. But if you fancy something naughty, the milk chocolate caramel fudge is a must. Need to stock up on toiletries? They’ve got that covered with nourishing pink grapefruit shampoo, tropical coconut conditioner and more, supplied by local business Miniml. Just bring your own container, weigh it, fill it with whatever you like, get it re-weighed and pay.
Waste Not, 68 Main Street, Burley-in-Wharfdale, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS29 7DF & 5 Wells Road, Ilkley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS29 9JB.
SCRAP
This one’s a bit different. SCRAP is an eco shop that sells low-cost creative supplies that would have otherwise been thrown away. Louise Lucas founded the shop when she realised how many quality resources went to waste. Hundreds of tonnes of art supplies are now diverted from landfill each year, instead used for creative projects across Leeds.
It’s a craft-lovers paradise. You’ll find reams of colourful paper, metals, rubber and all the wool you’ll need for your next knitting project. They have more unusual finds too, with unique woodworks alongside mannequins. With a stream of new stock coming in all the time, each visit will be different. The prices are kept low as it’s a not-for-profit social enterprise. And if that’s not enough to tempt you, you can even top up on plastic-free self-care products at their in-house liquid refill station.
SCRAP, Sunny Bank Mills, Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS28 5UJ.
Zero Muda
Zero Muda is a socially-conscious shop in Horsforth. The folk here believe the future of shopping is plastic free, local and circular, so that’s how they aim to source and sell their products. They channel their profits back into local school and enterprise projects, so when you shop here you do good for the community and the planet.
There’s a whopping selection of organic dried foods in their jars and dispensers, with everything from wholewheat pasta to North Star coffee, alongside an unrivalled range of spices. They sell oils, vinegars and their own re-fillable bottles of house wine too. Yes, eco-friendly wine! Want to grab some bread? They have a partnership with Leeds Bread Coop and sell fresh sourdough and rye loaves in-store for you to take home and enjoy. In summer, they have an ice cream cart where you can buy a cone to devour there and then or buy a tub to take home.
Zero Muda, 85 New Road Side, Horsforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS18 4QD.
The Headingley Greengrocer
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The Headingley Greengrocer is a community shop that’s committed to being low-to-no waste. All the produce is sold loose, so you can stock up on fresh fruit and veg without unnecessary plastic packaging. But they don’t stop there – leftovers are donated to local food project Rainbow Junktion Cafe and any waste is composted through Plate to Plate.
Juicy tomatoes? Check. Huge cauliflowers? Check. Red hot chillis? Check and double check. They can always be relied upon to have delicious, high-quality veggies. You can also pick up an abundance of ripe fruits, with everything from blood oranges to rhubarb. They source most of their produce from Yorkshire and what they have changes seasonally, so you always have new local goodies to try. You can take your produce home in your own bag or their recyclable paper packaging.
The Headingley Greengrocer, 50 North Lane, Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS6 3HU.
Cleen Bees Eco Refill Station
Cleen Bees started out as a cleaning company, but when the team saw just how much plastic waste their products produced, they quickly became passionate about promoting sustainability. Fast forward three years and they opened their very own Eco Refill Station in Pudsey to help the local community get low-to-no waste cleaning essentials at affordable prices.
You can fill your containers with their own Cleen Bees detergents, bleaches and disinfectants – they keep the price as low as possible, to ensure you can make sustainable choices, whatever your budget. Looking to stock up on washing supplies? There are re-fillable laundry products from the likes of Ecover, Bio-D and Faith in Nature too. And if you want the full Cleen Bees experience, they also offer professional cleaning services for homes and offices using their sustainable products.
Cleen Bees Eco Refill Station, Radley House, Madison Offices, Richardshaw Road, Pudsey, West Yorkshire, LS28 6LE.
Seagulls Reuse
Seagulls Reuse is the place to go if you’re decorating and want to keep it as low impact as possible. Their mission is to improve the environment through recycling and reusing paint materials. They also hold workshops where you can learn how to paint, upcycle and craft, as well as selling eco furniture.
So how does it work? It’s simple really – they collect old paint from their signature big pink containers across Leeds (found at household waste sites), take it all back to their workshop and reprocess it. The beauty of it is that you can pick a fancy paint colour, take it to Seagulls, and they’ll recreate it for you out of paint they already have, making it completely bespoke. It’s good for the environment and it’s good for your decorating budget too! They even have their own brand of white pain, and mosaic kits.
Seagulls Reuse, 3-4 Aire Place Mills, 103 Kirkstall Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS3 1JL.
