Refill Not Landfill: Easy Swaps for a Lighter Life

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Join the Movement This Plastic Free July

31-Days-of-Tips-CalendarPlastic Free July is a global campaign helping millions of people reduce plastic waste in their daily lives. The challenge is simple: refuse single-use plastic for a day, a week or the whole month and discover just how many small swaps are possible. The 31 Days of Tips Calendar is a great place to start, packed with ideas like using loose-leaf tea, making your own cleaners or switching to solid bars for hair and body care.

One of the simplest and most impactful changes you can make this Plastic Free July is switching to refills. From cleaning products to pantry staples and personal care, refilling helps cut out unnecessary packaging and reduces your plastic footprint without drastically changing your routine. It supports local shops, saves money over time, and helps build a more circular economy.

You can find refill options across West Sussex on our Zero Waste and Refill page — including Horsham, Pulborough, Worthing and Billingshurst. Many shops offer top-up stations for food, toiletries and household items, so it’s easier than ever to make low-waste choices locally.

And if you’re in or near Storrington, you’re warmly invited to the launch of the Storrington Refill Project.  The project is one of the initiatives made possible by the Waste Prevention Community Grant Fund, delivered by West Sussex County Council in partnership with Biffa.

Six people standing in front of a large “Refill” banner at Chanctonbury Leisure Centre, smiling beside a display of refillable household product dispensers. Three people wear navy uniforms, and two wear Sussex Green Living T-shirts. The backdrop features a sea turtle and the words “Re-use, Refill, Reduce.”NEW SERVICE

Sussex Green Living is excited to announce that a new dry-food refill service will be coming to Storrington this summer.

The service will launch on Wednesday 23 July at Chanctonbury Leisure Centre, running every fourth Wednesday from 9am to midday alongside the UK Harvest food hub. Local residents can bring their own containers to stock up on household staples such as oats, pasta, rice and nuts. The aim is simple: buy only what you need, cut down on plastic packaging, and reduce food waste at home.

This new project in Storrington is one of the initiatives made possible by the Waste Prevention Community Grant Fund, delivered by West Sussex County Council in partnership with Biffa.

Read the full blog post

Refill Survey

If you live in or around Storrington, please complete this short survey to help shape the new service:  Storrington Refill Survey

If you live elsewhere in Sussex, please complete this version to help us demonstrate wider demand:  Sussex Refill Survey.

Refilling Sussex: One Story at a Time

Do you run your own business, lead a community group or simply care about reducing waste in your daily life?

We’re collecting stories from across Sussex that show how people are rethinking consumption, offering refills, using them and finding creative ways to reduce packaging. Whether it’s top-up stations, reusable containers or sharing surplus, these small actions are helping to build a more circular local economy.

We’ll be using these stories to raise awareness, celebrate local leadership and inspire others to take part. From social media spotlights to community displays and future funding bids, your experience could help shape a stronger, more visible refill and reuse movement in Sussex.

What’s working well for you? What are you still looking for solutions to? Whether you provide refill services, bring your own containers or want to see more options near you, we want to hear from you.

Whether you’re based in a town like Storrington, a coastal village or somewhere in between, your actions matter. Together, we can create a powerful picture of how local choices are shaping a more circular and sustainable Sussex.

Get in touch:

Why Refill?

Every year, UK households get through around 7.7 billion plastic bottles—many used just once before being discarded. While recycling plays a role, it’s not enough. Only around 9% of plastic ever made has been recycled. Most ends up in landfill, incinerated, or polluting our environment.

Refilling skips the waste stage entirely. It’s a simple shift that:

  • Reduces plastic pollution at the source
  • Cuts carbon, water and energy use
  • Saves money over time

Cut waste, save money, and rethink the single-use mindset.. Refilling is one of the simplest, most effective ways to reduce your environmental impact without sacrificing convenience.Click here to add your own text

What can I refill?

Think it’s just hand soap and shampoo? Think again, refill options are growing fast and they’re more diverse than you might expect.

Give Dry A Try

  • Everyday Household Items
  • Washing up liquid
  • Laundry detergent
  • Fabric conditioner
  • Surface cleaner
  • Toilet cleaner
  • Try Dry (Low Waste Swaps
  • Toothpaste tablets
  • Shampoo bars
  • Laundry detergent & sheets
  • Oat milk powder
  • Solid moisturisers
  • Bathroom & Body
  • Shampoo & conditioner
  • Hand soap
  • Body wash & bubble bath
  • Deodrant
  • Body oil & facial toner
  • Food & Drink
  • Cooking oil & vinegar
  • Grains, pasta, lentils, rice
  • Herbs & spices
  • Dried fruit & nuts
  • Loose-leaf tea & ground coffee
  • Surprising Refill Options
  • Sunscreen
  • Pens
  • Candles
  • Pet Food & Treats
  • Washing-up brushes

Where can I refill?

Download the free Refill app by City to Sea to instantly locate local refill stations, whether you’re grabbing a coffee on your commute, topping up your water bottle, or shopping packaging-free groceries. The app connects you to cafes, shops, public water fountains and more that welcome reusable containers. You can also visit our Refill Shops page for a curated list of Sussex-based refill and zero-waste locations.

Refill Shop at Sussex Green Hub

Our monthly refill shop with household products can save you money.

We offer a personal and household cleaning products, dry and bottle refill service at the Sussex Green Hub on the last Saturday of every month. We also have refill oat m*lk powder from Overherd.

Bring your empty bottle and we fill it, you just pay for the liquid, it’s simple as that!

Find out more

Refill by Post or Subscription

Refilling doesn’t have to mean a trip to the shop. A growing number of companies now offer online refill services, delivering everything from cleaning products and toiletries to pantry staples and even refillable suncream. Many run on a subscription model, so you get regular deliveries in returnable or recyclable packaging, sometimes with discounts for sending back your empties.

Some even operate like a modern milk round, collecting your used bottles when they deliver your next order. It’s a convenient way to reduce waste without losing the ease of doorstep delivery.