Introducing the Refill Locator

The world produces 142.6 million tonnes of plastic packaging every year, the vast majority ending up in landfills, incinerators – or worse – the environment (OECD (2022) Global Plastics Outlook - Economic Drivers, Environmental Impacts and Policy Options). 

Shifting from single-use to reusable and refillable packaging models presents one of the biggest opportunities to reduce packaging waste at scale, and is crucial to reducing our reliance on raw materials.

That’s why WRAP is focused on driving innovation and collaboration in reuse systems across the UK through the UK Packaging Pact, the successor to The UK Plastics Pact.

Traditionally ‘zero waste’ shops have been for a dedicated few, but citizen demand for refillable options remain high.

“Over two thirds (68%) of Brits say they are likely to make reuse and refill a regular part of their weekly shop if supermarkets made it easier”. 

GoUnpackaged 2025

Increasing the availability of shops offering refill is important, but as is equipping people with the right information about where to find these locations, and educational informational that helps them transition to a different way of shopping.

WRAP has developed the Refill Locator, a new function of the Recycle Now Recycling Locator to provide this. 

The single use packaging problem

Packaging plays an important role in protecting goods. However, everyday tonnes of consumer goods products are sold in single-use packaging, much of which can be difficult to recycle and keep out of the environment. We need to transform our relationship with single-use packaging. A key part of this is shifting to reuse and refill for many everyday items we purchase.

The production of new packaging is both resource and energy intensive, and does not take advantage of the materials already in the market. A circular economy for packaging replaces the "take-make-waste" linear model with a closed-loop system focusing on eliminating waste, reusing materials (by refilling packaging) and recycling at end of life.

“If every household in the UK refilled just one item per week, this would eliminate over 1.4 billion items of single-use packaging per year” 

GoUnpackaged

Launching the Refill Locator

Through the UK Packaging Pact (launching April 2026) we have an ambition to scale reuse and refill in the UK, helping businesses to unlock EPR savings and supporting them to stay ahead of future compliance needs. It’s why we are launching the Refill Locator, a new digital tool to signpost citizens towards places where they can use refill systems for everyday essentials, rather than buying more packaging.

This builds on WRAP’s expertise on reuse, including our research with Asda and Unilever, and our existing digital locator tool, the Recycling Locator.

We have extended our Recycling Locator, a well-known recycling search tool that sees upwards of 2 million visitors per year, to include a refill store search option. This allows citizens to find nearby refill locations for personal care, household cleaning and store cupboard essentials. Where no options are available nearby, the Refill Locator highlights available home-delivery services for returnable packaging, much like supermarket home delivery services, but without the single-use packaging.

Familiar brands providing refills  

To populate the search function, we have been working with members of the UK Plastics Pact and wider refill partners to compile a database of refill stores across the UK.

The refill stores we feature stock refillable products from brands such as Ecover, SUMA, SESI, BioD and Faith in Nature. We’ve listed locations for Marks & Spencer’s own-brand ‘Refilled’ range where pre-filled products can be bought in returnable packaging and included a link to Ocado’s online reusable packaging scheme (available in a select number of UK locations).

Shifting behaviour

The Refill Locator provides citizens with both location information about their nearby refill options as well as practical advice on how to approach refill shopping, and get the most out of going packaging-free. 

By combining this content, the tool can help tackle two barriers to refill behaviour change – knowledge and accessibility.We are engaging our partners across brands, and local authorities to launch the tool, targeting key audiences in areas with a good offering of refill locations.