I recently found myself having a good old Instagram binge, looking through #zerowastesouthafrica. I am so excited about how many options there are out there in zero waste shops, as well as shops creating dedicated zero waste grocery sections. It got me thinking back to April 2017, when Rhian of Eco Atlas, Haley of Rethink the Bag and Noleen of Food & Trees for Africa and I were in flat panics organising Bea Johnsons zero waste tour of South Africa, wondering what on earth I had gotten us into!
I often say yes to doing things without giving it too much thought. Then I have mild bouts of panic most of the way through, maybe even have a few sleepless nights, yet once it is done, I never regret it and it generally works out fairly well. Most of the time!
That was just 2 years ago, and there was not really much about at all in terms of zero waste shops. Well, these zero waste shops are popping up all over South Africa now, it’s incredible. It takes a lot to keep these independent shops going, so the more we can support them, the more they will grow. Follow their social media accounts, like and share their posts, tell your friends and family about them, and if you are nearby, do your best to support them in store. I decided to put together a list of the ones I have seen online, would love to know of any others?
List updated 29 October 2019
KwaZulu Natal
The Refill Den, Suite 102, 68 Adelaide Tambo Drive, Durban
House of Bravo, Shop 1, 295 Florida Road, Durban
Azikho, Unit 15 Gregory Park, Garlicke Drive, Ballito
Good Source SA, 42 Old Main Road, Hillcrest
Market in the Midlands, Highgate Wine Estate, next to Piggly Wiggly
Founder Foods, 2 Village Road, Kloof
Cape Town
Low Impact Living, 12-24 Glen Road, Glencairn
Nude Foods, 5 Constitution Street, Zonnebloem, Cape Town
Nude Foods, Shop 22, Montebello Design Centre, 31 Newlands Ave, Newlands
Shop Zero SA, 403 Albert Road, Woodstock
The Unpacked Pantry, 4 Sol Cohen Drive, Heathfield
Zero Waste Store, Earth Fair Market, Tokai (every 2nd Saturday)
Zero Waste Store, Daily Goods Store, 29 Palmer Rd, Muizenberg
Aum Health Hub, Cnr of 6th Avenue and Mostert, Unit 4 Gerfa Centre, Melkbosstrand
Victoria’s Pantry, Shop 6, Victoria Square, Main Road, Hermanus
Johannesburg
The Refillery, Cedar Square, Fourways.
Replenish Zero Waste Store, (various markets)
The Unwrapped Co, Blairgowrie, Randburg (online)
The SEK Collective, The Real Mackay Building, 7 Mackay Ave, Blairgowrie, Randburg
Port Elizabeth
Waste-Not Groceries, 21 Bain Street, Richmond Hill, PE
Zimbabwe
Waste Me Not Sustainable Living, Zimbabwe
Namibia
Zero Waste Store, 30 Stein Street, Paulannic Centre Shop 3, Windhoek
I am sure there are many other stores in Southern Africa who have dedicated zero waste grocery shelves. I would love to know about them, so do use the comments below to share their details, and I will update the list.
Life Lived Simply 
Awesome! Bookmarking. If you ever find yourself visiting New York, stop in at some of our zero waste shops. https://climateconscious.blog/2019/02/11/shopping-waste-free-in-new-york/
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Great!
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Waste-Not in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape.
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Oh great! I’ll look them up.
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Also the Neighbourhood Farms in the South Peninsula. A growing network based at schools and where public land can be made available.
https://www.facebook.com/NeighbourhoodFarm/
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The prices at some of these shops ate a rip off. This will fail unless the greedy can curtail their profits and give consumers an incentive to switch. No to greed. 👎
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Hello Frikkie, which of these shops have you been into? We also cannot compare their prices to supermarkets as they do not, yet, having the buying power that supermarkets do.
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Orrgana’s in Sedgefield, Western Cape has xero waste organic veggies and a zero waste section for my Conscious Cleaning home care and Blissful Botanicals personal care profucts ehich are all sold on a bring your own container system. Customers are able to photograph the large bilk labels if they wish to remember the contents of the product.
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That sounds great! I cannot find anything on a google search for Organa’s or Orrgana’s in Sedgefield. Do you have an address or do they have a web page/facebook page?
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Hello! We have started a Waste Free Market in the KZN, Midlands at Highgate Wine Estate / next to Piggly Wiggly. It is once a month, and all the stalls sell zero waste products! (obvs). We started this year, and we are really hoping it takes off!
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That is fantastic – good luck with it!
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[…] up at the store. No packaging, no problem. Check out Shop Zero and Nude Foods in Cape Town, and this listicle that details other zero-waste stores across South […]
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Hello 🙂
Have a look at RESTOCK, an online sustainable lifestyle retailer, started in 2019. Our philosophy is based on 3 simple principles, local, natural and zero waste.
https://restock.shop/
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Thank you Caragh. Do you have a physical shop as well as an online shop?
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[…] Quelle: https://lifelivedsimply.co/2019/04/23/zero-waste-shopping-in-south-africa/ […]
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Shop Zero (Cape Town) has now moved online 🙂
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