We’re putting a call out to the many zero-wasters and sustainable consumers in Aylesbury to tell us your favourite products you’ve bought locally which have helped you to reduce your waste and impact on the environment. We’re building a collaborative list of our top buys so we can all enjoy what Aylesbury has to offer.

You can also use our Sustainable Directory to find local retailers, groups and businesses which operate in sustainable ways.


Refills

I love SESI refillable products – I use their hand soap, laundry detergent and fabric softener, but they also sell cleaning products, washing up liquid and more. I refill mine with Eco Bonobo.

I use a couple of fabulous local ladies for refills of cleaning and laundry products, and also whole food refills – Aylesbury Eco Stores, and Eco Bonobo.

Loose leaf tea

I was never really a fan of loose leaf tea, but as soon as I tried the naturally decaffeinated tea leaves from Eco Bonobo I was converted! It works so well with the reusable organic cotton tea bag – tea time has become a real treat. I also found that there aren’t the manky dregs at the bottom of my cup that were there when using disposable tea bags. I expect you all to have it ready for when I pop round for a cuppa!

For a wider selection of teas visit Holy Cow Home on Cambridge Street in Aylesbury. They have a delicious selection of loose leaf blends – my favourites are Road to Marrakesh and Strawberry Red bush.

Milk

And what’s a cup of tea without milk? Quite a few of us are now getting our milk delivered by the milkman.

Wren Davis – based in Prestwood – deliver to Aylesbury three days a week, and offer a great service which can all be managed online, making it even more convenient. Their broken biscuit boxes are also great, reducing the number of biscuit packs we get through. They do come in a plastic bag inside the box, but they can now be taken to most supermarkets to be recycled with plastic bags.

Milk & More is another milk delivery service offering bottled milk and dairy-free alternatives, as well as a whole host of low-waste and sustainable products including some refills.

Finally The Modern Milkman puts sustainability at its core, delivering a wide selection of plastic-free products to your door. And it’s a Certified B-Corporation™ too.

Soap, Shampoo and Conditioner Bars

Described by one of our contributors as “game changers”, simple switches to bars instead of plastic bottles of shampoos, conditioners and body washes can save so much waste, and are much nicer for your hair and skin. Our selections are vegan, cruelty free, SLS free and paraben free…and just lovely.

Reusable face pads

The bathroom is one of the places where we can make a big reduction on waste. Step up Memories Re-Stitched, who are making beautiful sets of cotton and bamboo face pads, as well as crocheted face scrubbies. They are not only environmentally less impactful than disposable products, they will also look gorgeous in your bathroom.

Soup bowl holder

Apparently you don’t know how much you need this until you have it! It’s been described as a little “nest” for your hot bowl to sit inside, keeping it nice and warm and stopping your hands from getting burnt. So cosy!

Fruit & Vegetables

Switching our fruit and veg suppliers to local grocers to cut down on packaging and support local shops is very popular for our ethical purchasers, and a few come highly recommended.

World’s Best Fruit are a friendly and now-indoors greengrocers! They offer a wide variety of quality produce, including seasonal fruit and veg boxes.

Fruity Tooty are committed to zero waste, offering bespoke veg boxes and packaging-free fruit and vegetables in their extensive shop.

Although not local, we have included a delivery service, Riverford fruit and veg boxes, as they are active campaigners in sustainable farming practices, reducing waste from farm to fork, they carefully select their box contents to ensure they are the least impactful, and are a Certified B Corporation.

Clothes

Buying sustainable clothes is not easy – it’s estimated that the fashion industry accounts for around 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions each year, and cheap, throwaway clothes have become the norm. To counteract this we need to reuse and repair where we can.

Wild Daisy clothing is made from 100% recycled fabrics and comes with a free repair service! The jeans and dungarees are highly recommended as being so comfy and making you feel great.

The Artful Menders – based a little further afield in Chesham – offer a repair and re-purposing service for clothes. They told us that keeping clothes for an extra 9 months can reduce their carbon footprint by 20-30%, so we’ve sent over a big pile of repairs!

Meat

Small, local farms? Check. Organic? Check. Recyclable packaging? Check. Free delivery? Check. The Butchery Box’s carefully curated meat boxes deliver everything you want – and they’re tasty too.

Beef Olive Butchers are a friendly and knowledgeable local butchers and artisan deli, where you can buy local meats (wrapped in brown paper instead of loads of plastic) and delicious cheeses, cured meats and more.