Five independent shops in Newcastle with sustainability at their heart

It’s easier than ever before to shop for ethical, zero waste and eco-friendly products in NewcastleGateshead, and support local businesses along the way – it’s a win win all round!

There are an increasing number of independent shops in NewcastleGateshead that offer sustainable solutions for everyday life including refill stations and plastic-free shopping for fresh groceries, dried goods and toiletries.

Here are five climate-conscious shops in Newcastle where you can find sustainable alternatives or refill options:

109 in Heaton 

109 in Heaton is a recently launched family run general store, stocking your everyday needs such as bamboo bottle brushes, eco-friendly soap bars and weigh your own flour, pasta and rice. You can even bring your own bottle and fill up with local milk from the refrigerated ‘milk vending machine’.

Something Good

Jesmond-based Something Good will fulfil your refill needs. Their step by step approach to refilling and reusing makes it easy to have a less wasteful lifestyle. Simply bring your container, fill it with something good, weigh and pay! Products include staples from your daily routine such as shampoo and dry food along with eco-friendly alternatives like beeswax food wraps and metal straws.

Nil Living in Grainger Market

Grainger Market offers up even more stress-free ways to live an environmentally friendly life with zero waste and refill shop, Nil Living. Nestled in the centre of Newcastle’s stunning 200-year-old closed market, their mission in life is to redefine the linear system we have been stuck in for so long, where we take products from the earth and then dump them in landfill. Nil Living seeks to help us all move to a sustainable economy where all resources can be fully resumed back in the system. In short, buy ethically sourced products in re-usable containers! Grainger Market is also a great place to buy fresh fruit, vegetables and produce without all the unnecessary packaging often found in supermarkets.

The Honey Tree

The Honey Tree in Newcastle suburb, Heaton, has been leading the way to sustainable living for years. The well-established local and organic food store is the go-to place for plastic-free fruit and veg, along with refillable loose commodities like porridge oats, sugar and pasta. They even have a deli counter packed with local produce and homemade baked goods.

Little Green Social

Little Green Social vegan café, bar and health food shop in Sandyford, Newcastle now has its very own refill station thanks to a successful community fundraiser in 2019. The station encourages you to bring your own container and fill up with necessities such as eco-friendly household surface cleaner, bodywash and shampoo.