Plastic is fast becoming taboo, so if you're looking to start living in a more sustainable way then these local shops are a great place to start.
Long gone are the days where simply putting all your recycling into the correct receptacles was considered 'enough'. We're all doing our best, but sometimes it can seem a bit overwhelming to live life in a green way.
Thankfully, Leeds has some great zero waste shops in and around the city centre that have been designed to make it easy for us.
Selling everything from dry cereals and grains to spices, dried fruit and household beauty and cleaning products, not to mention single-use plastic alternatives to store it all in, keep reading to discover those closest to you and start living your best sustainable life.
Ecotopia, Grand Arcade
This zero-waste shop at Grand Arcade in Leeds city center has it all: dry foods, gluten free foods, pet food, homeware, health and beauty products, and of course reusable products. Ecotopia also launched a pay it forward scheme earlier this year so that you can treat someone who really needs it.
Panda Refills, Kirkgate Market
Originally opened as the JarTree in 2018, this is Leeds' first dedicated zero waste shop. Panda Refills offer ‘weigh and pay’ refills of food, cleaning and body care products alongside gifts, homeware and more. Here you'll find products from almost all of the leading eco-friendly brands, as well as smaller suppliers and local crafty makers.
Refill & Go, Garforth
Run as an ethical enterprise, suppliers here are ethical and the owner makes sure all of his customers know exactly what they’re buying. Here you'll find plenty of plastic-free options for household items, ranging from beauty products to food and cleaning supplies. A great place to pick up basics like cereal, pasta and rice, as well as alternatives to single-use plastic like metal straws and cloth tea bags.
Inside Ecotopia, the zero waste shop inside Grand Arcade / Image: Ecotopia
Waste Not, Ilkley/ Burley-in-Wharfdal
Head down to either of Waste Not's stores and you'll find huge dispensers filled with lentils, beans and grains, dried fruits, confectionary, nuts and more. You can pretty much do a full food shop here, whether you're after fresh produce or looking to stock up the cupboards. A one-stop-shop for all your ethical and sustainable shopping needs.
SCRAP, Farsley
SCRAP rescues low-cost creative supplies that would've otherwise gone into the bin and sells them on at extremely low prices - stopping hundred of tonnes of art supplies from ending up in landfill every year. Owner Louise Lucas has created a crafter's paradise here. This not-for-profit social enterprise is well worth a visit. It also has a liquid refill station.
Zero Muda, Horsforth
All profits made here are channeled back into local school and enterprise projects. Find organic dried foods in jars and dispensers alongside grains, pastas and a huge range of spices. Zero Muda has partnered with Leeds Bread Coop to sell their fresh sourdough and rye loaves and even sell their own (refillable) bottles of eco-friendly wine. Winner.
Headingley Greengrocers, Headingley
Low to no waste community store Headingley Greengrocers is a pinnacle in the community. The shop sells all its products loose to minimise on unnecessary plastic packaging, before donating anything left over to food project Rainbow Junktion Cafe and composters Plate to Plate. Most produce is sourced from Yorkshire to minimise on carbon footprint.
Cleen Bees Eco Refill Station, Farsley
What first began as a cleaning company is now a sustainable eco refill station, created after its founders realised just how much plastic they were going through with cleaning products alone. Designed to suit all budgets, Clean Bees have their own very affordable products on sale alongside named brands like Faith in Nature and Ecover.
Feature image - Ecotopia.
Leeds
The Leeds bakery serving up fresh pastries straight from their backyard
In case you missed it, a bakery in Bramley has received lots of attention recently after people have sampled some of its impressive bread and pastries before raving about it online.
Since then, Ruth, the mastermind behind it all, has generated queues from her summer house-turned bakehouse with people coming from far and wide to sample her flaky favourites and doughy delights.
Baking for more than 10 years and opening The Fat Pigeon just outside of Leeds city centre three years ago, there's no denying that the pastries and more produced here are some of the best.
This micro-bakery has a mighty menu and although Ruth's personal tastes might lean more savoury, the menu heavily favours sugary baked goods.
Anyone who loves a good sweet treat will be glad to know there's croissants, traybakes, cinnamon buns and the star-studded kouign-amann, a French-originating buttery pastry that covers all bases as it's sugary, sweet and slightly salty - heaven in baked form.
Ruth posing with a pigeon statue alongside some of her delicious golden creations / Image Credits: The Hoot Leeds / The Fat Pigeon
There's plenty more dough-based delights that cater to the savoury palate too. Think sourdough loaves, baguettes and focaccia that's oozing with perfectly paired herbs and generous amounts of oil.
What makes this place even more special is the fact that not only the products being created and consumed made by a Leeds local, most if not all of the offerings are made using Yorkshire produce.
Ruth has made sure to keep local produce at the heart of all her bakes with Met's in Farsley who providing cheese, Whiteley's contributing fresh vegetables like parsley and rhubarb, flour from East Yorkshire's own Stringers and The Organic Dales for any dairy items - it really doesn't get more Yorkshire than this.
Enough from us, social media user's are singing this bakery's praises too as one commented "Delicious. Delicious. Delicious" and another going as far to say, "Beats every pastry I had in Copenhagen".
The sourdough loaves and bloomers at The Fat Pigeon are homemade and look as good as they taste / Image Credits: The Hoot Leeds / The Fat Pigeon
Hopefully you're reading this on a Friday or early Saturday morning, otherwise all I can do is apologise for tempting you with all this bakery's homemade golden goodness so far in advance.
The Fat Pigeon is open from 9am to 12pm every Saturday meaning you can stock up on some of Leeds' best bread and pastries to tie you over until the next weekend, depending on your will power.
Here’s five of the best new openings coming to Leeds this year
Clementine Hall
We're almost half way through the year, so let's see what else we've got to look forward to...spoiler alert, it's a lot.
So far we've had everything from ice bath cafes to listening bars open up in Leeds, and it seems like 2026 is the gift that keeps on giving.
Allow us to get you excited about what's coming to the city...
Dishoom
68–78 Vicar Lane, LS1 7JH
Images: The Hoot Leeds
This one is a biggun' as the ever so popular Indian restaurant is set to open this August in a beautiful Grade-II listed building on Vicar Lane which was formerly Flannels.
First opening in London, Dishoom now has restaurants dotted all over the UK including a huge site in Manchester. The group is famed for its lavish and grand interiors, as well as its home-style curries, grills and breakfasts including its legendary bacon naans.
Acai and the Tribe
88 Vicar Lane
Image: The Manc Group
Acai and the Tribe first opened four years ago in Manchester, and ever since then it's only gone from strength to strength opening up three other locations across the country.
Next stop? Leeds. And we couldn't be happier about it.
So, what can we expect from this aesthetically-pleasing and ultra trendy female-owned business? Well, loaded acai bowls that look almost too good to eat, superfood smoothies, coffees, matcha and savoury options like avocado toast.
This Japanese restaurant serves a menu full of sushi as well as grilled meats on sticks, sharing sides and build-your-own hand rolls. All of this is wrapped up in the most gorgeous interior, which you can see from their jaw dropping new Manchester site.
Occupying the Grade II-listed space on Vicar Lane, the three-storey building will include a 220-cover dining room, 30-cover terrace and an upstairs bar.
New York-style pizza pop-up, Edges Pizza, is set to open in Leeds.Last summer you may have had the privilege to enjoy a slice of Edges Pizza at one of their many pop-up residences across the city.
Their longest stint was at the sun-drenched roof terrace of Green Room, and it's safe to say their pizza went down an absolute treat. Edges will be opening their doors in Leeds city centre on Thursday 18 June.
Okay, this one might not be happening this year...but we still had to mention it so please forgive us.
Trinity Leeds is embarking on a major transformation with a £15 million expansion, introducing a second food court called ‘Freight Island’ The upgrade will add around 72,000 sq ft of new space, including a stunning rooftop terrace overlooking City Square the perfect spot to enjoy great food with skyline views.
Georgina Pellant -
1st June 2021 
