Eco Communities Full Circle Shop is a community-led, not-for-profit project helping households across Cheshire reduce single-use plastics and live more sustainably. No physical shop, no staff, just a growing community of people thinking differently about what we bring into our homes.
When we launched our Spacehive campaign, we asked you where you’d most like to see a new hub, and your responses helped shape everything that followed. The image below shows where the interest landed, with Garden Quarter and Central Chester leading the poll, Frodsham and Neston close behind, and Helsby and Ellesmere Port also registering support. Every vote mattered.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors and match funding from the Council’s major portfolio, we reached our target. What we hadn’t fully anticipated was that securing a confirmed location and host agreement would be needed before we could move forward. That sent us on a journey of outreach, and we’re so glad it did.
We’re hugely grateful to the councillors who helped open doors. An early conversation led us to Winsford, and Cllr Chris Copeman pointed us toward Chester West Libraries, ultimately leading us to Helsby Library. Meanwhile Cllr Louise Gittins connected us with Rachel at Neston Community Youth Centre, an organisation we know well from our work at the Neston Earth Festival and through supporting the region’s Plastic Free accreditation.
We believe there is no such thing as waste.
Two New Hubs — Welcome Helsby and Neston!
And so we’re thrilled to announce that Full Circle Shop is now available at two brilliant new locations:
Helsby Library and Neston Community Youth Centre
Between these two new hubs and our existing network, we’re now reaching more of Cheshire than ever before, and it’s been a genuine team effort to get here.
Helsby Library — our first indoor hub – A trial with the Libraries Team, and we’re excited to see how it goes, with an eye on expanding to more library locations if it proves successful. We know there’s already a community of supporters in the area: Frodsham residents will remember the Just Footprints store, and we hope many will make the short trip to use the Helsby hub.
Neston Community Youth Centre – our second new location felt like a natural fit from the start. Neston has a strong track record on sustainability, and partnering with the Community Youth Centre and the Neston Earth Group means the hub sits at the heart of that work.
What’s next?
We haven’t forgotten the strong interest in Central Chester and Garden Quarter — conversations there are ongoing and we’re hopeful. For now, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who donated, voted, and helped make these two new hubs possible.
The Behind-the-Scenes Reality (That We’re Not Complaining About)
We want to be honest with you. Running these hubs takes a lot of time, and we do all of it in our spare time, with no salaries. Our most recent stock preparation took two full days — filling 115 x 500ml bottles and 20 x 5 litre bottles of home and body products. But please don’t feel sorry for us. We’re doing this for you, for the community, and for the planet — and we genuinely love it. What we do want is for you to understand what you’re getting, and why it matters.
So What Are You Actually Buying — and Why Does It Matter?
The problem with the supermarket bottle
We’ve all grabbed a bottle of hand wash or washing-up liquid off a supermarket shelf without thinking twice. But what’s actually inside those bottles?
Conventional products like the nation’s most popular washing-up liquid contain anionic and non-ionic surfactants, synthetic fragrances, and other compounds. Some of these, such as sodium laureth sulfate (SLS/SLES), are linked to skin and eye irritation with repeated contact. The synthetic fragrances in mainstream washing-up liquids, including common allergens like geraniol and limonene, can trigger contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals. When used with hot water, some of these chemicals vaporise and can be inhaled, which is a concern for anyone with asthma or sensitive airways.
An independent study by the Danish Consumer Council tested 29 washing-up liquids and assigned chemical ratings. Some of the most well-known supermarket brands, including certain Fairy variants — received the lowest possible score due to ingredients classified as suspected endocrine disruptors or allergenic preservatives.
Beyond your skin and lungs, these chemicals go down the drain. Standard water treatment plants don’t fully break them all down, meaning residues from surfactants and synthetic fragrances enter rivers and waterways, where they can accumulate and harm aquatic life.
And then there’s the bottle itself. In the UK, hundreds of millions of plastic bottles of cleaning and personal care products are sold every year, most of them single-use, most of them ending up in landfill or incineration.
What we’re bringing you instead
The products we stock through Full Circle Shop come from Fill, a family-run, BCorp-certified business based in Northamptonshire, made in the UK, eco-certified, vegan, and Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free.
Here’s what that means in practice:
- No harsh chemicals. All ingredients are biodegradable and designed according to Fill’s 12 guiding principles for responsible formulation chemistry. No dyes, no synthetic harsh chemicals.
- Vegan and cruelty-free. Registered with the official Vegan Trademark and certified by Leaping Bunny.
- Allergy-friendly. Fill’s unscented hand soap and washing-up liquid have passed assessment for the Allergy UK allergy-friendly product award.
- BCorp certified. BCorp status means Fill has been independently assessed on its social and environmental impact, governance, and transparency — it’s not just a label, it’s a rigorous standard.
- Safe for septic tanks. No nasty residues going into your soil or groundwater.
- Made in the UK. Lower food miles, supporting British manufacturing.
- 1% of all orders donated to environmental causes through membership of 1% for the Planet.
The refill difference — less plastic, better value
This is where it gets really interesting. When you refill rather than rebuy, you’re not just saving a plastic bottle — you’re rethinking the whole system.
On usage: Fill’s washing-up liquid is designed to be used sparingly — just 10–15ml (2–3 teaspoons) per bowl of washing up. That means a 500ml bottle goes a long, long way when you’re not pouring it like you would a watery supermarket product.
On price: Here’s a comparison to think about:
| Product | Supermarket (approx.) | Full Circle Refill |
|---|---|---|
| Washing Up Liquid 500ml | £1.00–£2.00 (mainstream brand) | £2.30 |
| Hand Soap 500ml | £2.00–£3.00 (mainstream brand) | £2.70 |
At first glance, the price difference looks small or negligible. But when you factor in that eco-certified refill products are made to be used more sparingly than their watered-down supermarket counterparts, the cost per use often works out comparable — or better. And you’re not paying for a new plastic bottle every time.
Where to Find Us
You order online – select your products – then Check Out – Select Pick Up – and select one of our now three hubs across Cheshire:
- Helsby Library (new!)
- Neston Community Youth Centre (new!)
- Hoole Community Centre
We confirm your order is ready to collect and then you get the code for the Hub….
A Final Thought
There is no such thing as waste — in nature, everything has a purpose and a next life. Humans created the problem of waste, and communities like ours can help solve it, one refilled bottle at a time.
Thank you for being part of this. The Eco Communities Full Circle Shop Team
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