Bristol is increasingly becoming a huge hotspot for zero waste shops, meeting the growing demand for those wanting plastic free and packaging free shopping. Cutting down on plastic and swapping to zero waste shopping is an easy – and budget friendly – way to be more sustainable at home.
Here are our eight favourite zero waste spots in Bristol, selling everything from dry goods to cosmetic products and household cleaning products, all without the plastic.
8 Of The Best Zero Waste Shops In Bristol
1. Zero Green
12 North Street, Bristol, BS3 1HT
Ever since two friends set up Zero Green in 2018, this trendy zero waste shop has been giving people in Bristol access to locally sourced products without any unnecessary plastic packaging.
Their diverse product range includes coffee from the Clifton Coffee Roasters and vegan fudge by Bristol-based Fab Fudge, as well as a large selection of dry goods and household staples.
You can also stock up on wellbeing and cosmetic products such as sunscreen and plastic free deodorants. Watch out for updates on their Instagram page for upcoming events like fermentation workshops and an (awesome sounding) zero waste knitting class. Also keep an eye out as rumours are they’re moving to a larger site up the road soon.
2. Preserve Foods
208 Gloucester Road, Bishopston, Bristol, BS7 8NU
In the north of Bristol Preserve Foods is joining the zero waste shopping movement by offering customers a large range of primarily organic and vegan foodstuffs and household items, as well as non-organic products as they aim to prove that plastic free shopping doesn’t need to break the bank.
Take your own containers or pick up some in store and fill up on everything from pulses and soaps to herbs and teas sourced from a local cooperative for a spot of bulk buying. You can even find a nut butter and milk machine here to spice up your zero waste shopping trip!
Preserve Foods have just opened a second store on Church Road in east Bristol, which will have the same selection of zero waste goods plus plant milk and nut butter machines.
3. Scoopaway Zero Waste
113 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, Bristol, BS7 8AT
Before we had zero waste shops, Bristol had buy in bulk stores which offered essentially plastic free shopping. Scoopaway is another zero waste shopping option on Gloucester Road, as a health food store it has thousands of natural products for all aspects of your life, from beauty and cosmetic products to staple foods. It has containers of over 300 items such as spices, pulses, dried fruit and coffee for you to scoop much as you might like. By making their best-selling products available to buy in bulk, this store is a great example of how we can get great products without the harmful plastic.
4. Harvest
11 Gloucester Road, Bristol, BS7 8AA
Another Bristol gem along Gloucester Road is Harvest, a co-operative with entirely vegetarian, non-GM stock, selling organic fruit and veg, as well as a stunning looking selection of fresh cakes in their deli.
As for their zero waste goods, there are a number of dispensing bins and gravity dispensers for you to bulk buy and fill up your reusable containers with organic grains and nuts alongside refill stations for eco-friendly household cleaning products like washing powder. As part of their mission to be an ethical store, there are no carrier bags in sight here so you can truly be plastic packaging free.
5. Wild Oats
9-11 Lower Redland Road, Bristol, BS6 6TB
Wild Oats is an independent health food store in the Redland and Clifton areas of Bristol with a range of natural remedies, frozen goods and beauty products that you might expect to find in a wholefoods shop, but they also have an extensive collection of scoopable bulk, plastic free products as they aim to encourage zero waste shopping wherever possible. They also offer customers who bring their own containers a cheaper price for their goods to further incentivise more sustainable shopping habits. Alongside refills of Faith in Nature shampoo and conditioner, their scoopable, zero waste products include essentials like pasta and grains, as well as some more unusual finds like goji berries and tigernuts.
6. Smaller Footprints
9 Regent Street, Clifton Village, Bristol BS8 4HW
Recognising the extensive damage caused by plastic, Smaller Footprints in Bristol is on a mission to provide people with an alternative. The industrial-style shelves in this chic zero waste shop are lined with dispensers filled with a huge range of products like rice, pasta, cereal, loose tea and coffee as well as sugars and flours.
They aim to reduce their carbon footprint at every stage by sourcing products locally and seasonally where possible whilst also ensuring that nothing in this plastic free shop has been flown into the UK. If that isn’t enough to convince you to check this place out, maybe some vegan chocolate coated coffee beans and beautiful coconut bowls are.
7. Simply Green
132 The High Street Nailsea, Bristol, BS48 1AH
West of Bristol city centre in Nailsea you will find the zero waste shop Simply Green which opened its doors back in March of this year. This cute shop offers many plastic free alternatives from dried foods like flours and granola, as well as sustainable lifestyle products that swap out the plastic packaging from your everyday habits with items like toothpaste tabs and bamboo toothbrushes. You can also pick up some unpackaged dog treats so your four-legged friends can be zero waste too!
8. Zero Waste Pantry
Broad Street, Wrington, Bristol BS40 5LA
Just beyond Bristol Airport to the south-west of the city centre, the Zero Waste Pantry inside Mother Hen has a plethora of plastic free cupboard essentials, as well as loose tea and herbs in scoopable glass jars.
Bring along your empty bottles to fill up on their large selection of Greenscents cleaning products like hand soap and shampoo to help you kick off your plastic free bathroom.
