COVID-19 UPDATE; some shops may be temporarily shut, changed to delivery only, or have changed hours. Do check websites and social media for updates. 

Following on from my last post “how to food shop with less packaging”, here are a range of options;

Where can you shop in London packaging free?

A few of the capitals’ offerings to whet your appetite.

Within each rough geographic area the shops are listed A-Z. At the end I cover some options for those who don’t live in London.

East

Bulk Market 

CLOSED

E5 Bakehouse 

Sells package free; seasonal vegetables, organic seeds, grains, nuts, olive oil, salt, sugar, coffee, butter in paper, and the most amazing sourdough bread.

“We use all of the ingredients available in the dispensers for our café, cakes, pastries & breads.  Rather than storing all of these out of sight, it made sense for us to utilise the space available in the shop area for storage and by doing so, to give customers a chance to buy them for themselves”. Founder Ben Mackinnon  

Arch 395, Mentmore Terrace, London Fields, E8 3PH

9am to 5pm 7 days a week

Get Loose @ Hackney City Farm

100% organic plastic free pastas, grains, pulses, cereals, milk (in returnable glass bottles), nuts, cheeses, vegan cheese, tofu, chocolates, dried fruits and lots more.

The shop is a social enterprise and growing its produce selection week on week.

Hackney City farm (just inside the gates on the right), 1a Goldsmiths Row, E2 8QA

Mon-Thurs 14:30-19:30

Re:Store The Refill Shop

Whole foods, nuts, seed, oils, confectionary, deli items, herbs & spices, tea & coffee, household cleaning, toiletries and lifestyle items.

“I started Re:Store after a new years resolution to use less plastic turned in to a bit of an obsession! I wanted to join the growing group of packaging free shop owners in creating opportunities for customers to shop in a more environmentally conscious way. “ – Megan, Re:Store Founder

Hackney Downs Studios, 17 Amhurst Terrace, E8 2BT

Monday: Closed, Tuesday – Thursday: 11 – 7, Friday – Saturday: 10 – 6, Sunday: Closed

West

Liberte Cherie

Focusing on plastic free fine foods, most of which sourced from the UK and EU. Including; feta, vinegars & oils, whole grains, herbs & spices, pulses, nuts, beauty, lifestyle and flowers.

219 Portabello Road, London, W10 5TD

Tues – Sat 10:00 -18:00 Sun  12:00 -18:00
Photo taken from Liberte Cherie FB page

Refill Larder

Dry goods; lentils, rice, pasta, dried fruit, seeds, nuts, cereals. Bathroom and cleaning products in bulk. Also carefully sourced plastic free lifestyle products, such as water bottles, bamboo toothbrushes, soap, lunch boxes, bees wrap.

Currently via online deliveries only.

“I wanted to work with our community to help cut down the plastic that is used constantly”. Kate, Founder.

The Source Bulk Foods UK

Package free kitchen cupboard staples like rice, lentils, flours, also have cooking liquids, superfoods, nuts, dried fruit, muesli, granola, chocolate, savoury snacks and cleaning and personal care products.

24 Turnham Green Terrace, W41QP

9:00 -19:00 Mon to Fri and 9:00 – 17:00 Sat to Sun.

Unpackaged @Planet Organic

Self service refill concession inside a larger supermarket. Bulk items include; cereals, chocolate, dried fruit, grains, pasta, nuts, pulses, rice & seeds. Check out the full product list and prices for this store.

42 Westbourne Grove London, W2 5SH

Monday – Saturday  07.30 – 21.00 and Sunday 12.00 – 18.00

South

Bring Your Own

Providing quality, organic focused, grains, pulses, nuts and dried fruits, pickles and spices, plus an ever-growing range of household goods, including cleaning products, body care and beauty essentials.

32 Nunhead Green, London, SE15 3Q

Open; Mon closed, Tues – Sat 10:00 -17:00, Sun 10:30 – 16:30

By Gram

Organic food, confectionary, herbs, spices, tea, honey, oils, vinegar, toiletries and homewares.

795 Fulham Road, SW6 6HD

Open; Mon-Sat 9:30-18:00, Sun 10:30 -16:00

BYO (Tooting)

Lifestyle products, chocolate, cereals, detergent, grains, dried fruit, nuts, oil, vingar, seeds, pulses, pasta, sugar, spices and toiletries.

Tooting Market, 21-23 Tooting High St, Tooting, SW17 0SN

Open; Tues – Thurs 11:00-19:00, Fri & Sat 11:00-17:00, Sun 11:00-16:00

 Fareshares 

One of the original bulk shops set up in 1988! Run by volunteers as a social enterprise. The customers weigh and price up their own shopping, volunteers are on hand to help. Most of the items are organic. Items include; fruit & veg, grains, pulses, seeds, herbs, toiletries.

56 Crampton Street, SE17 3AE

Thurs 14:00-20:00 Fri 16:00-19:00 Sat 15:00-17:00

Gather 

Aiming to make sustainability easy and fun. Gather stocks; cereals, oils & vinegars, rice & grains, Mylks, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, pulses & legumes, herbs & spices, flours, sugar, tea, coffee, toiletries, cleaning products and lifestyle items. Also including a sustainable fish collection point and hard-to-recycle drop off.

“We’re a couple of locals trying to help fellow Peckhamites (and anyone else who’s interested) think differently about how they shop.  We make it easy for you to make the switches that’ll help both you and the planet.” – Laura & Tash founders

121 Bellenden Road, Peckham, SE15 4QY

Open; Wed – Fri 10:00 -19:00, Sat 10:00 – 17:00, Sun 10:00 – 16:00

Hetu

COVID Update – CLOSED AS OF 19th Sept 2020

Mission: Green

CLOSED

Naked Larder

Food buying group in South London, but you don’t have to live in the area to use the service. A range of dry goods and eco friendly cleaning products. The members then collect their orders using their own reusable containers. This is not a shop but a collection point, you have to have ordered in advance.

‘I started Naked Larder because I feel our current shopping practices are not sustainable and are drowning our planet in plastic waste. Naked Larder was born to offer dry goods and eco-cleaning products to people plastic free and cost effectively, as I have found it is these items that can still be hardest to source plastic free.’ – Phili Denning Founder.

Herne Hill, near the station.

Orders have to be made by a monthly deadline, then collection is on a prescribed week day evening and weekend daytime. See website for details.

Roots & Cycles

A small shop selling locally produced eco vegan household products. Cleaning products, toiletries and lifestyle items.

“We get that the way we treat our own bodies mirrors how we treat the earth, so we focus on local resources, local people and keep things simple and accessible.” – Rebecca, Founder of Roots & Cycles

In the courtyard of Haynes Lane, Crystal palace, SE19 3AN

Wed 14:00 -19:00, Thurs 13:00 -18:00, Sat 10:00 -16:00, Sun 11:00 -16:00

Shop Without Packaging (SWOP)

Selling Organic, Fairtrade, local (where possible) & as ethically as possible. All produce is vegetarian or vegan. Including; washing up, laundry, cleaning, bakery, sugar, baking, beans & pulses, beauty & hygiene, cereals & grains, flour, chocolate & snacks, dried fruit, fresh produce, herbs & spices, oils & vinegars, nuts & seeds, tea & coffee, rice & pasta and cold drinks.

“We were so fed up with plastic & packaging littering our streets, parks, countryside and beaches that we decided to do something about it” – Jess and Claire Founders 

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

Mon-Fri 8.30-18.00, Saturday 10.00-18.00 and Sunday 10.00-16.00

The Source Bulk Foods

The second London store for this Australian bulk food brand. Kitchen cupboard staples like rice, lentils, flours, also have cooking liquids, superfoods, nuts, dried fruit, muesli, granola, chocolate, savoury snacks, frozen items, cleaning and personal care products.

99 St John’s Road SW111QY

Monday – Friday 9:00 -20:00, Saturday 9:00 -18:00, Sunday 11:00 -17:00

The Store Cupboard @ Crystal Palace Food Market

Loose organic whole foods, spices, herbs and teas – sold by weight, at affordable prices.

“Now a co-op owned by the Market. Selling organic and loose because we believe that individual wellbeing, and the health of our planet, go hand in hand.” – Anna Store Cupboard crew

Bottom of Haynes Lane/Top of Bedwardine Road, Upper Norwood, SE19 3AP

Currently closed due to COVID.

Zéro

A range of cereals, pulses, beans, grains, nuts, seeds, chocolate, dried fruit, herbs, spices, baking, tea, household liquids and lifestyle items. Mostly organic or fair-trade.

“We believe that with a little help everyone can consume more responsibly. So we decided to create Zéro, an independent shop dedicated to the zero waste lifestyle.” Alicia & Josh, founders

Unit 7, The Apprentice Shop , 14 Watermill Way, Wimbledon SW19 2RD

COVID UPDATE – Online orders only

North

Harmless Store

Was possibly the smallest shop of it’s kind in the UK, moved to a bigger shop in November 2019. Selling vegan plastic free household basics including food, cleaning and personal care.

“The name harmless comes from ‘harming less’ in everything; animals, plastic, pollution, human rights (through our food consumption) palm oil, deforestation, climate change. Just everything.” Tami Jarvis Founder 

79 Tottenham Lane, Hornsey, N89BE

COVID Update; Online orders only

Tuesday – Thursday 11:00 -19:00, Saturday 11:00 -18:00, closed Monday & Sun.

So much more space in the new shop!

Hero Market

Hero Market offers all basic and every day food staples – loose and plastic free packaged. Also a selection of body care, health and beauty and lifestyle items. All vegan. Started small but growing every week.

“I opened a plastic free shop, as I had no choice. We must do something to battle the plastic pollution!” – Sabina, founder

Unit 24, South Harrow Market, Northolt Road, HA2 0EU

Normal hours; Tue 12:00-18:00, Wed 12:00-19:00, Thurs 15:00-20:00, Fri 8:00 – 16:00, Sat 8:00-16:00, Sun 11:00-16:00

COVID hours; Wed 12:00 -17:00, Sat 9:00 – 16:00

Patoka

Patoka sell tea, coffee, oil, vinegar, dried foods, toiletries, cleaning products and lifestyle items.

Wembley Park Market, 27-29 Olympic Way, Wembley, London, HA9 0FR

Monday Closed, Tuesday – Saturday 11am – 7pm, Sunday 11am – 5pm

COVID Update; Delivery only see website for details

image coming soon

Unpackaged @Planet Organic

Self service refill concession inside a larger supermarket. Bulk items include; cereals, chocolate, dried fruit, Ecover, grains, nuts, pulses, rice & seeds.

“Having operated as an independent store, Unpackaged is now focused on partnerships with larger retailers as we fulfill our mission of bringing zero waste to mainstream audience” Catherine Conway, Founder.

111/117 Muswell Hill Road, Muswell Hill N10 3HS

Monday – Saturday: 7.30am – 9.00pm, Sunday: 09.00am – 9.00pm

Central 

Unpackaged @Planet Organic

Self service refill concession inside a larger supermarket. Bulk items include; cereals, chocolate, dried fruit, pasta, grains, nuts, pulses, rice & seeds. Check out the full product list and prices for this store.

22 Torrington Place London, WC1E 7HJ

Monday-Friday 07.30 – 21.00, Saturday 08.00 – 20.00 and Sunday 12.00 – 18.00

Online

Zero Waste Club

Online shopping service for toiletries, pulses, beans, pasta, coffee, sugar. Items are delivered by Royal Mail in paper / cardboard parcels. Also a directory of where to buy common bulk foods around London.

Pawan & Rishi started the Zero Waste Club because “We couldn’t sit and watch the world burn”.

But I don’t live in London!

• Pebble Magazine – round up of the 102 (and growing) best plastic free shops in the UK.

• The Beeswax Wrap Company – are crowdsourcing a map of bulk UK shops and you can suggest any that are missing.

• The Zero Waster blog – lists shops with some packaging free options by county and city.

• The Zero Waste Map – shows locations all over the UK and you can add your favourite places yourself.

• The Zero Waste Network – another directory of Zero Waste shops and market stalls. UK wide.

• Zero Waste App – 25 cities including London (free with in app purchase of 99p)

The Zero Waste App lists shops that are fully packaging free, or have some loose items. Also ethical restaurants, menders, second hand clothing shops and many more. Users can add their own favourite places easily.

“We’re aiming to be the ‘Lonely Planet’ for Zero Waste Friendly Locations” – Inge Echterholter app creator.

iTunes & Android platforms

Zero Waste Near Me – interactive map UK wide. Also lists tool libraries, scrap stores, paint recycling, community fridges etc

Facebook Groups – just a small selection!

• Zero Waste Heroes – set up by the founder of Zero Waste Week, Rachelle Strauss.
• Journey to Zero Waste UK – very active group with lots of help, advice and support from all over the UK.
• Zero Waste Greater London – a London focused group.
• Zero Waste London – a second London focused group.
• Going Zero waste – American based but still some useful tips and information.

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