Supporting local businesses can be one of the easiest ways to reduce waste.
Repair cafes, refill shops and borrowing schemes across North Yorkshire help people save money, reduce waste and support their local community at the same time.
Local schemes such as Share Skipton offer the chance to borrow items for a much lower price than buying new.
Repairing jeans, or utilising local clothes swap schemes is much more environmentally friendly than buying new.
Up to 50–70% of the money spent at an independent local business stays right inside the local economy, compared to less than 40% for big chain stores.
By buying local food, you are minimising the air miles your food needs to travel to reach you.
By shopping locally and investing in local services, you are playing a key part in contributing towards the local economy, creating jobs and supporting independent businesses.
From Skipton’s bustling high street, to independent businesses in the shadow of Scarborough’s coastline, to small vegetable farms across the Yorkshire Dales, to family businesses in our market towns, North Yorkshire isn’t short of incredible local options.
Circular Malton and Norton – Malton aims to be the UK’s first circular economy market town. It is committed to several brilliant local projects, including Ryedale Remakes, a and upcycling and innovation workshops. A map of sustainable Malton and Norton can be found here.
Up For Yorkshire, Selby, repair cafe – Tired of broken items piling up? Why not go along to Up For Yorkshire’s repair cafes? Enjoy a delicious cuppa whilst waiting for your items to be repaired and even get involved and learn how to fix things yourself! More information and dates can be found here.
Before ordering online, check if an independent shop in your market town has what you need.
Visit a local repair cafe to mend clothing or electronics while learning a new skill.
Take your empty containers to local zero-waste shops for pantry staples and cleaning products.
Use local lending schemes like Share Skipton for tools or items you’ll only use once.
Embracing local repair cafes, clothing swaps, and tool libraries does more than just keep cash in your wallet. It fundamentally changes our relationship with the things we own. By choosing to mend, refill, or borrow, we collectively reduce the demand for brand-new manufacturing and heavy shipping. It’s a beautifully simple way to cut waste, lower our area’s carbon footprint, and weave a tighter community web
Every repair, refill and local purchase is a small decision that helps keep money, skills and resources within North Yorkshire communities.
Easy ways to reduce waste