Our Story

Zero Waste Shopping In  Dorset

South West Coast Refills is a small business on a big mission to make a positive impact to our environment and community on the Dorset South West Coast.

The SW Coast story began at our own kitchen table, out of frustration at being unable to find local packaging-free produce.

SW Coast began life as a market stall and accelerated and expanded into the small Weymouth shop. We added the online store selling items to make zero-waste an easy choice. We bring plastic free shopping to Weymouth & Portland.

We want to inspire our neighbours and wider community to make small changes towards a zero-waste lifestyle, learn and grow with us and believe in the difference they can make.

Summer 2019 passed in a bit of a blur of sunny market days, early starts, a HUGE amount of product research and some lovely beach sunsets. We flung ourselves into Autumn 2019 determined to find a permanent home (out of the rain!) for our zero waste shop.

We knew we wanted to be in Weymouth as Emma is passionate about seaside town regeneration and Weymouth as a town. We love living here and want to make plastic free shopping more accessible to everyone locally, giving them the choice to decide how they shop. 

After a couple of shop premises slipped through the net and we got pipped to the post on more than one occasion, we were dejected and were beginning to wonder if we would have a home by Christmas.

But luck had our backs and proving that all good things come in small sizes, our perfect little shop became available. We signed the lease to 6 Coburg Place on October 18th and November passed in a flurry of sawdust and sanding!

Scroll on one year and we moved from our little shop on the corner, expanded to a store which is lighter, brighter and infinitely bigger and better! 

Our new shop is now packed to the brim full of products that you have requested: items we have sourced locally from local crafters and makers, ingredients you have deemed as store cupboard essentials as well as zero waste gifts and household items. Our Refillery is ever popular and the number of people filling bottles increases daily. To date we have saved over 740,000 bottles from landfill!

We have moved with the ever changing landscape of high street retail, and you will now find foodie favourites and our ever popular Refillery alongside our vegan bakes and local bread, eggs and fresh farm vegetables. We now also offer a wide range of ethical and sustainable cards, gifts and homewares as well as beauty items. These are all available to purchase online, available for UK delivery as well as in our Weymouth store. 

We honestly believe that everyone, big or small can make a difference. Everything we do creates waste, however by becoming a conscious consumer you can choose to buy better, buy less, begin to understand supply chains, reconnect with food, support more local businesses and reduce consumer waste.

The brands we work with share our goal of working towards a greener future, by using only the most natural of ingredients and recyclable/biodegradable packaging.

Our website and online shop allow you access to the best sustainable products and homewares and a small slice of Dorset delivered to your doorstep, wherever you’re based!

Raise a reusable cup to SW Coast Refills! We hope you enjoy our little shop.

Rikki & Emma