Burgess Hill zero waste store needs community support to open

Megan King, 22, is the founder of Scrapless, a community interest company which aims to provide a resource for refilling foodstuffs and living essentials.

Set to launch in the town centre in the next few months, Scrapless will provide a plastic-free shopping experience, and offer customers a chance to purchase dried foods, household essentials, toiletries, sweets, and more.

Megan, who lives in Burgess Hill, said: “I want to bring sustainable shopping out of Brighton and big cities to Sussex towns like Burgess Hill, so that we can all support the planet and reduce our collective carbon footprint.”

She has launched a crowdfunding appeal, hoping to raise £10,000 to kit the store with necessary specialist equipment, such as first in, first out gravity dispensers for the food refills, as well as the trade rated scales.

Megan said: “We have a loan in place to cover rent and the essentials, but we need some help raising the money for expensive equipment.

“Things like the produce dispensers cost thousands of pounds and the sooner we raise the money, the faster we can start working with people in Burgess Hill to reduce their waste.”

Scrapless is designed to help environmentally friendly locals make the jump to a more ethical lifestyle.

Alongside shopping, there will also be membership options with workshops and events to learn about recycling, reducing waste, and making greener choices.

The shop will also be decorated with recycled goods and waste that have been found discarded around Sussex.

Megan said: “Scrapless will build a community of like-minded individuals in the area.

“This isn’t intended to just be a business making money, we really believe in what we’re doing and how it will make an impact in Sussex.

“That’s also why we’ll be supporting local producers with the products we stock.’

To find out more, and donate to the Scrapless crowdfunding campaign, visit natwestbackherbusiness.co.uk/get-scrapless-up-and-running-1 or www.scrapless.co.uk/crowdfunder.

Find out more about Scrapless by visiting www.scrapless.co.uk.