Shop dedicated to promoting zero waste loses battle to stay open in Milton Keynes town

My Refill Market will shut down in Swinfen’s Yard in Stony Stratford on October 22.

Owner Karen is selling all her stock before then at 15% off and is also selling the shop’s fixtures and furniture.

She posted on her shop’s Facebook page this week: “I hoped I wouldn’t have to write this but it is with great sadness that the adventure of the first Zero Waste shop in Milton Keynes is coming to an end.

“I would like to thank everyone for having supported our little business, shopped with us, pledged for our crowdfunding, shared our posts, popped in for a chat, worked for us... and most importantly helped the planet.”

Dozens of people on social media have expressed their regret at the shop closing. One customer said: “So sorry to hear this, I'm sure you've made a huge impact on local people's shopping habits and thoughts of the planet, so despite it being tough out there you should be very proud of what you've achieved.”

My Refill Market gave shoppers the chance to fill their own containers with loose food staples such as pasta, rice, beans and spices. The shop also sells eco-friendly toiletries and cleaning products.

Karen’s story began in 2008 when she was about to give birth to the first of her children.

"I soon realised that I wasn’t ready to cope with such amount of waste we were about to generate when having a baby. I then bought my first set of cloth nappies,” she said.

“A few years later and a family of five, we are not living on a zero waste life yet but we are reducing step by step the amount of waste by doing some very easy swap in our daily life.”

Karen, who is Fench, is passionate about food and wine and loves cooking but had always struggled to source seasonal local produce in the Milton Keynes area.

“This is how I came up with this idea - a venture where you are able to buy excellent quality, organic, and local food and, most importantly, without plastic packaging... If we don’t do anything, by 2050 there will be more plastics particles than fish in our oceans.”