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Food & Drink

Best plastic-free shops in London

By Jen Barton Packer on 22/4/2021

The plastic free revolution is well under way, and we're all making those small changes where we can.
The rise of the bulk market – also known as zero-waste shop or plastic-free shop – is the opposite of the typical supermarket shopping experience (although some major supermarkets are giving it a go). It's designed to help tackle the waste problem by removing all plastic packaging from the products, and customers are encouraged to bring and reuse their own containers.
Shopping against the backdrop of glass jars, wood countertops and steel accents isn't just the future for the environment, it makes for an enjoyable shopping experience (one that also happens to be aesthetically beautiful). Whether you want to get your herbs and cereals, bulk-buy kombucha and eco cleaner or stock up on packaging-free soaps and shampoos, we suggest you pay zero-waste shops a visit.

BYO, Nunhead

This stylish plastic-free supermarket in southeast London has everything you've come to love and expect from your plastic-free shopping experience – nuts, pulses, grains, household goods – and then some. Bring a glass bottle to fill with specialist oils (argan oil, chilli olive oil, etc), stock up on vegan cheese, kombucha and even Cacao Pow natural deodorant. The spice wall is a particular favourite.

WHEN

Tues, Thurs, Fri: 9:30am-6pm; Wed: 10:30am-7:30pm, Sat: 9am-6pm, Sun: 10:30am-4:30pm

WHERE

147 Evelina Road, Peckham, London SE15 3HB

Nought, London Bridge

Greta Thunberg isn't the only teen actively involved in saving the planet: Kings College London's student union has its own zero-waste shop selling everything from coffee and dried fruit to sustainable toiletries. All proceeds go towards improving the sustainable efforts of the KCL students.

WHERE

Guy's Campus, Collingwood Street, London Bridge, London SE1 9RT

Gather, Peckham

Opened in July 2019, Peckham's newest zero-waste shop, refillery and sustainability hub is all about leading by example when it comes to trying to be more sustainable – even the store's furniture is repurposed seconds, and the shop runs on renewable energy. (Next goal? Carbon-neutrality within a year or two.) Bring your containers from home and start shopping for pasta, cereals, grains, nuts and dried fruits, herbs and spices, oils and vinegars, coffee and tea as well as DIY beauty ingredients and toiletries, kitchen and cleaning products, solid shampoo and conditioner and kid-friendly stuff like reusable straws. You can also use Gather as a book-lending library to read about living more sustainably and a recycling centre (a TerraCycle station lets you drop tricky-to-recycle plastics).

WHEN

Wed-Fri: 10am-7pm; Sat: 10am-5pm; Sun: 10am-4pm

WHERE

121 Bellenden Road, Peckham, London SE15 4QY

Get Loose Foods, Hackney

Based in Hackey City Farm (you can turn your grocery shop into a petting zoo excursion for the whole family), Get Loose Foods is the place to pick up eggs, milk and cheese, fresh herbs, fruit and salad veg, nuts, grains, pulses, tinned goods and glass bottles and jars of oil, vinegar, honey and more.

WHEN

Fri-Tue 10am-7pm; Wed-Thurs 10am-8pm

WHERE

45 Goldsmiths Row, Hackney, London E2 8QE

Zéro, Wimbledon

Wimbledon's first zero-waste shop not only imbues us with the desire to shop more sustainably, it also provides plenty of interiors inspo – think sleek, minimalist decor, glass jars with grains, nuts and seeds, tins filled with flour and brown paper bags bursting with Italian pasta. The shop also stocks eggs and honey and a selection of eco-products for the home, from cleaning items to Kilner jars to stylish totes emblazoned with the phrase: 'One less bag/ In the sea/Aim for zero'. There's plenty to tempt kids, too: bamboo toothbrushes, natural plasters, children's books – and scrumptious fudge.

WHERE

Unit 201, Centre Court Shopping Centre, Wimbledon SW19 8YE

E5 Bakehouse Millhouse Shop, Hackney

Located next door to east London's organic bakery, known for its artisan methods and promotion of organic, local ingredients, the Millhouse Shop offers an eclectic mix of goodies, from aprons, bread-making tools and wooden boards to handmade chocolate, fresh vegetables, unpackaged grains, nuts and pulses, eggs, wine, beer and cider. Pop in to stock up on a favourite product – and sit down at the communal table to enjoy a tasty bite while you're there.

WHEN

Open seven days a week, 8am - 7pm

WHERE

e5 Bakehouse, Arch 395, Mentmore Terrace, Hackney, London E8 3PH

Naked Larder, Herne Hill

A sustainable food delivery system In London? Ooh, tell us more, please. South London residents can benefit from Naked Larder, an initiative launched by Phili Denning to reduce packaging waste. The premise? Naked Larder will bulk-buy ethically sourced items like pasta, cereals, nuts, flour, tea, coffee, body care products and household cleaning items – you just register, place your order for what you'd like, then collect your items monthly from Naked Larder shop in Herne Hill, using your own reusable containers. Bulk buying reduces environmental impact – and cost. Happy shopping.

WHERE

Naked Larder, 78 Herne Hill, London SE24 9QP

The Common Café, Clapham

An eco-lifestyle store, cafe and bakery, Common in Clapham is the newest London arrival to show the virtues of the plastic-free life. Everything is organic and palm oil free, and the space (housed in the old chemist's on the Pavement) ticks the 'relax and have a coffee and cake' box as well as the stock up on grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, spices and fresh vegetables one. The full product range includes reusable bottles and cups, beauty buys, homewares and gifting-ready glass-jar teas from Parigotte.

WHERE

The Common Café, 17 The Pavement, Clapham, London SW4 0HY

BYO, Tooting

Tooting Market is the latest London location to get its own plastic-free space with BYO, where you can fill up your own Tupperware and glass storage containers with pulses, pasta, seeds, spices, cereals and more (you can also purchase containers on site to use, in case you happen to be in the neighbourhood without a storage container in tow). You'll also find a great selection of toiletries, detergents and plastic-free accessories, like rose-gold straws, KeepCups and totes.

WHEN

Tues-Fri: 10am-5pm; Wed-Thurs: 11am-7pm; Sat: 11am-5pm; Sun: 11am-4pm

WHERE

Tooting Market, 21-23 Tooting High Street, Tooting, London SW17 0SN

Unpackaged

Considered the trailblazer of London's bulk stores (it began at a market stall in 2006) Unpackaged can be found in Planet Organic locations in London, Welbeck Farm Shop in Worksop and Macknade Fine Foods in Faversham, delivering certified organic, GMO-free whole foods and household cleaners to the eager-to-make-a-change public. Even better? Unpackaged offers consultancy services, training and support to those looking to open their own plastic-free stores, in the UK and beyond.

WHERE

Planet Organic in Islington, Muswell Hill, Torrington Place, Westbourne Grove

The Refill Larder, Teddington

Located in Gardenia florist shop on Teddington high street, The Refill Larder has an inspired selection of plastic-free goodies, from bath bombs to Patch coconut oil plasters to eco glitter and lunch boxes (there is a fantastic selection of sustainable kids' stuff on offer), as well as larder staples like grains, nuts, seeds, pastas and cereals.

WHEN

Open seven days a week, 10am - 5:30pm

WHERE

122 High Street,Teddington, TW11 8JB

Beetroot and Beans, Forest Hill

Opened by the people behind popular Forest Hill outpost Aga's Little Deli, this lovely, meat-free, zero-waste shop has everything from fresh veg and fruit to beans and nuts to alternative milks, as well as gorgeously packaged condiments.

WHERE

57a Dartmouth Rd, Forest Hill, London SE23 3HN

Roots & Cycles and The Store Cupboard, Crystal Palace Food Market

Crystal Palace's popular Saturday food market not only has plenty of fresh fruit and veg and vegan lunch offerings to tempt you, but it also has some bulk food shops such as Store Cupboard, where you'll find unpackaged organic whole foods, herbs and spices and tea and coffee sold by weight. Roots and Cycles is another on-site bulk shop with eco-cleaners and refill washing liquids, shampoo, castile soap, essential oils and more.

Photo: Laura Mitulla

WHEN

Saturdays, 10am-3pm

WHERE

Haynes Lane, Crystal Palace, London SE19 3AP

SWOP Market, Lee Green

Opened by two mums fed up of seeing plastic littering of, well, everything, SWOP (Shop Without Packaging) has a comprehensive selection of sustainable buys, from bread and patisserie to fruit and veg, loose grains, seeds, beans, pulses in gravity dispensers, coffee beans, loose leaf tea, cleaning products, beauty items, pasta, herbs, spices, reusable water bottles and metal lunchboxes, snacks, chocolate and more. Don't see what you're looking for? Ask the owners, who will do their best to source it for you.

WHEN

Mon-Fri: 8am-6pm; Sat: 10am-6pm; Sun: 10am-4pm

WHERE

7 Burnt Ash Road, Lee Green, London SE12 8RG

Re:Store, Hackney

Your go-to bulk shop for conscious consumption in Hackney, Re:Store has everything you need in terms of refillable items (oils, household cleaners), whole foods (couscous, black beans, split peas and more), organic herbs, tea and coffee and loads of gorgeous gift ideas, from Self Care Co. candles to Chilly's water bottles.

WHEN

Tues-Thurs: 11am-7pm; Fri: 11am-6pm; Sat: 11am-5.30pm; Sun: 12pm- 4pm

WHERE

Hackney Downs Studios, 17 Amhurst Terrace, Hackney, London E8 2BT

The Source, Chiswick and Battersea

For an adult version of the kid in the candy store experience, head to The Source, which has two south London locations filled with stylish products and tasty ingredients. We're obsessing over the kombucha (which comes in different flavours like Lavender and Thai) as well as hard-to-find items like maple syrup, superfood powders and tasty chocolate-covered nuts and fruits. There's also a good selection of zero-waste products like metal straws, chewable toothpaste and reusable cutlery. Bring your own containers or make use of the paper bags or jute shopping bags in store.

WHERE

24 Turnham Green Terrace, Chiswick, London W4 1QP and 99 St John's Road, Battersea, London SW11 1QY

Bulk Market, Hackney

Bulk Market offers the plastic-free shopper everything from oils to DIY beauty products to fruit and veg in addition to the whole grains, pulses, cereals and other staples – you'll even find items for your pets, with gin, beer and wine coming soon. Bulk Market was opened by former marketing exec Ingrid Caldironi in August 2017. They've just reopened in a new location near Hackney Central/Hackney Downs.

Photo: Denise Johnson

WHERE

Bulk Market, 6 Bohemia Place, Hackney, London E8 1DU,

Harmless Store, Crouch End

Good things come in small, plastic-free packages, as Harmless Store in Crouch End proves. Head to Harmless to stock up on zero-waste essentials like Chilly's water bottles, household and hygiene items, vegan Parmesan, locally made chocolate, sugar, coffee, tea and more. Show up with a shopping list (digital, please) and relax with a beer while your order is organised for you. Like we said, this is so much better than typical supermarket shopping.

Photo: Laura Mitulla

WHERE

79 Tottenham Lane, Crouch End, London N8 9BE

Wearth

An ethical online department store, Wearth launched in 2017 as an eco-marketplace which sells everything from ethically made furniture and homewares to jewellery. We've included it on our list because there's a dedicated Zero Waste section where you can get all of your reusable bottles, produce bags, bamboo straws and plastic-free toiletries. And then stock up on gorgeous, conscious gifts, too.

Best plastic-free shops in London

BYO, Nunhead

Nought, London Bridge

Gather, Peckham

Get Loose Foods, Hackney

Zéro, Wimbledon

E5 Bakehouse Millhouse Shop, Hackney

Naked Larder, Herne Hill

The Common Café, Clapham

BYO, Tooting

Unpackaged

The Refill Larder, Teddington

Beetroot and Beans, Forest Hill

Roots & Cycles and The Store Cupboard, Crystal Palace Food Market

SWOP Market, Lee Green

Re:Store, Hackney

The Source, Chiswick and Battersea

Bulk Market, Hackney

Harmless Store, Crouch End

Wearth

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