Below is a list of initiatives and projects that help people to reduce the waste they produce, by providing alternatives to products, services or waste streams.
Refill / Eco Shops
Arjuna Wholefoods
Arjuna is the original 100% vegetarian wholefoods shop in Cambridge. We are also a workers' cooperative - fully owned and run by its members.
Location: 12 Mill Road, CB1 2AD Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
Monday - Saturday: 9:30am-6pm / Sunday: Closed
Backyard Food
Shop offering food, cleaning and toiletry refill products as well as a range of local and ethical pre-packaged items.
Location: Oundle Road, Peterborough, PE2 8AT
Saturday: 11am-4pm / Sunday: 11am-1:30pm
Be Kind Kitchen
Be Kind Kitchen is a small grass roots venture serving cruelty free food that is kind for the planet, kind for animals and kind for your health.
Location: Peterborough City Market, Unit 130
Monday - Thursday: 10am-5pm / Friday: 8.30am-5pm / Saturdays: 10am-5pm / Sunday: Closed
Daily Bread Co-Operative - Cambridge Ltd
Daily Bread Cambridge is a whole food shop, committed to supplying ethically-sourced natural foods to our local communities at affordable prices.
Location: Kilmaine Close Unit 3 Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 2PH
Monday: 9am-4pm / Tuesday – Saturday: 9am-5:20pm / Sunday: Closed
Refill Revolution Oundle
Bringing the Refill Revolution to Oundle! We’re launching our popular zero waste shop in Oundle. Bring along your empty shampoo, conditioner, laundry detergent, fabric conditioner, washing up liquid, hand soap and body wash bottles for refills - all vegan friendly and cruelty free. We will also have a range of dry foods and other items to help you to reduce your plastic waste. Opening fortnightly on Fridays and Saturdays to begin with - to see if you like us - we are keen to open weekly & for more days from September.
Location: The Wharf, Oundle
The Refill Shop
Starting as a food group, and developing into a shop, since November 2019. The Refill Shop sells zero-waste, plastic-free, whole food, ingredients and domestic products and raw artisan chocolate. They also sell Rawtangle dairy-free chocolate and nut milks.
Location: 40 St. Mary's Street, St. Neots, PE19 2TA
The Prospects Trust Unwrapped
GREENgrocery - Farm Servery - Refill Larder - a farm shop with a retail difference, promoting plastic free and zero waste, whilst supporting people with additional needs.
Location: 13 Lynn Road, Ely, CB7 4EG
Monday - Friday: 9am-5pm / Saturday 9:30-3.30pm
Clare’s Refill Station
A local refill station supplying affordable, sustainable cleaning products with no plastic waste. All products are vegan, biodegradable, cruelty-free and manufactured by an independent family firm in the UK
Location: 68 Wheatley Crescent, Bluntisham, PE28 3XN
Full Circle – Histon High Street
Full Circle is a zero waste outlet shop based in Histon as well as Cambridge market. Their aim is to help you help the planet, taking great care to source products that will help you tread more lightly on this beautiful pale blue dot. Product ranges include items that are plastic free, reusable, sustainable, ethical and free from animal products. Delivering to CB postcodes using bicycle or low carbon transport.
Location: 10 School Hill, CB24 9JE
Saturday: 9am to 4pm
Location: Cambridge Market, Market Hill, Cambridge CB1 0SS
Wednesday - Monday: 10am-4pm
Radmore Farm Shop
a traditional grocery store selling meat, fruit, veg, dairy, fresh bread, and just about anything else you would ever need to eat. With the unique situation of having our own farm on which we rear the meat, we can vouch for the origins and the quality thus offering you something you rarely find on a busy urban street in Cambridge.
Fresh and dried foods, sustainable household cleaners and refills. Focus on Plastic free produce, organic foods and sustainable practices.
Location: 8-10 Victoria Ave, Cambridge CB4 1EH
Monday - Saturday: 9am-6.45pm / Sundays: 11am-4pm
Telephone: 01223 361155
Email: radmorefarm@outlook.com
The Little Fenland Eco Shop
Based in The Ramsey Initiative Indoor Market, their aim is to stock a range of eco friendly products to give people the choice to buy biodegradable, plastic free or reusable alternatives locally.
Location: Initiative House, Ramsey, PE26 2HE
Monday - Saturday: 9am-4pm
Facebook
Happy Earth Refills
Selling a range of eco-friendly, vegan, biodegradable, cruelty-free, plant based, affordable, UK produced refill products, as well as homemade local plastic free products too. Refill containers are sent back to the supplier to reuse, making it even more sustainable.
Location: The Courtyard, Hyperion Auctions, Station Road, St.Ives, PE27 5BH
Monday - Saturday: 9am-5pm / Sundays: 10am-4pm
Telephone: 07751 375521
Refill/eco shops are an alternative to supermarkets, offering consumers a way to buy products package free by taking their own containers to be refilled again and again.
Repair Cafes
Barrington Repair Cafe
Location: 17 Orwell Road, Barrington, Cambridgeshire, CB22 7SE
Cambridge Repair Cafe
Location: Cambridge Carbon Footprint, The Bike Depot, 140 Cowley Road, Cambridge, CB4 0DL
Cottenham Repair Cafe
Location: Cottenham Community Centre, 250A High Street, Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, CB24 8RZ
Histon Repair Cafe
Location: St. Andrews Centre, School Hill, Histon, Cambridgeshire, CB24 9JE
The Eversdens Repair Cafe
Location: Eversden Village Hall, 4 Chapel Road, Great Eversden, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB23 1HP
Villages South of Cambridge Repair Café
(Fulbourn, Sawston, Shelford, Abington, Linton)
Location: The Fulbourn Centre, Townley Memorial Hall, Home End, Fulbourn, Cambridgeshire, CB21 5BS
Middle Ground Repair Cafe, Yaxley
Location: Recreation Ground Pavilion, Middletons Road, Yaxley, PE7 3LR
Repair cafes are free meeting places and they’re all about repairing things (together). You can repair clothes, furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles, crockery, appliances, toys, etc. You’ll also find expert volunteers, with repair skills in all kinds of fields.
Community Fridges
Millfield Community Fridge
Our fridge helps to reduce food waste and food poverty. Anybody can put food in anyone can take food out. Bringing the community together. It has developed into an amazing community hub.
Location: Open Door Baptist Church Hall, Searjeant Street, Millfield, Peterborough
Wednesday: 10am-12pm / Thursday: 10am-12pm / Friday: 9.30am-11.30 am and 1pm-3pm
Paston Farm Community Foundation
A community centre housing a community fridge.
Location: Paston Farm Community Centre, Freston, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE4 7XB
WestRaven Community Fridge
Community Cafe - Has a community fridge on site.
Location: Westwood Community Hub, 31-35 Hampton Court, Westwood, Peterborough
Monday – Saturday: 8am-3pm / Sundays: 11am-3pm
Yaxley Community Fridge
A community project set up by the parish council for the benefit of the parishioners. Free to use no matter what your social status is. If you wish you can leave something in the food bank in return, such as biscuits or tins.
Location: Austin Hall at the Amenity Centre on Main Street, Yaxley
Weekdays: 9am-4pm / Saturdays: 9am-1pm
Cambridge Community Fridge
This community fridge enables businesses and individuals to waste less through the sharing of good quality food that's within its use-by date. You can drop off good but unwanted food, and help yourself to what's on the shelf. Please read the instructions and disclaimer prior to use.
Location: The EDGE Café, 351 Mill Road, CB1 3DF Cambridge
Monday – Friday: 8am-4pm / Saturday: 9am-4pm
A community fridge is a refrigerator located in a public space, enabling anyone to put food in and anyone to take food out. The main aim of community fridges is to reduce food waste. They also enable people facing hardship to have easy access to fresh, nutritious food.
Swishing is a clothes swapping event. They are a place to take along unwanted clothing and to take away someone else's donations, all for free.
Nappies
Cambs Reusable Nappies
Service offering parents the chance to see, learn more about and try a range of reusable nappies to decide which ones best suit their family's circumstances.
Location: Ely and St Neots
Book by appointment.
St Neots Cloth Nappy Chat
Ramsey’s Cloth Nappy Library
Promoting cloth nappies and their many benefits to local families. Offering free support, free demonstrations and hires (small fee and deposit required).
Location: Ramsey Rainbow Surgery Resource Centre
First Friday of every month: 9:30am-11am
A growing community of 'real' nappy users. A group of people offering advice and guidance on using 'real' reusable nappies, some also offer support on acquiring 'real' nappies for either a trial or to buy.
Reusable Party Kits
Eco Friendly Party
Address: CB1 7TY
Telephone: 07578560505
Email: hello@ecofriendly.net
Eco Party Pack – Cambridge
Address: SG8 0BB
Email: katyshepherd26@gmail.com
Eco Party Pack St Ives
Address: PE27 3TG
Email: ecopartypack@thelilacshed.com
Eco Party Pack St Neots
Email: ecopartypackstneots@gmail.com
Facebook
Friends of Burwell Village College Primary
Address: CB25 0DU
Email: partypackbvcp@gmail.com
South Cambridge Eco Party Hire
Address: CB22 3JU
Reusable partyware can include plates, bowls and cups, and often cutlery, decorations, table linen and much more. By hiring a kit instead of buying disposable partyware these kits can reduce both the carbon footprint of your party and the waste going to landfill or incineration. Worried about all that washing up? Many kits include washing up in the price of the hire or offer it as an optional extra. But what about all that plastic? Yes, many of the kits use plastic however they don't contain any single-use plastic. Plates and partyware can be used again and again.
Toy Libraries
Cambridge Jumbo Toy Library
Location: Brown’s Field Community Centre, 31A Green End Rd, Cambridge CB4 1RU
Frequency: Once a month – first Wednesday of the month at 2pm-4pm
Email: jumbolibrary@gmail.com
Cottenham Toy Library
Location: Cottenham Community Centre, 184, High Street, CB248XT
Frequency: bi-weekly on Fridays during term, from 11.15am-12.15pm
A range of toys available for borrowing either for a small fee or for free. From small puzzles and baby toys to large ride-on, sit-in toys, dependent on Library. Take children along for a play, and meet other local mums and dads.