Eco-friendly refill store Scrapless in Burgess Hill closes down after three years in business

Scrapless in the Martlets Shopping Centre was a low-waste refill shop that supplied hundreds of residents with more than 1,000 environmentally safe and plastic free products.

Founder Meg King brought the sustainable community interest company to the town in 2020 when she was just 22. She aimed to provide a resource for refilling foodstuffs and living essentials, while offering a plastic-free shopping experience and the chance to purchase dried foods, household essentials, toiletries, sweets and more.

The Scrapless Team announced the closure on their Facebook page on June 24 after three years in business.

They said: “We are very sad to announce that we will be closing our doors for good on the 22nd of July.”

The post continued: “There are multiple reasons for this closure one of the primary being that we have really felt the impacts of the cost of living crisis on out sales while simultaneously managing the ever-rising costs of stock and bills.”

The message said the team was proud of what they had achieved in the community and said ‘a massive thank you’ to their customers, suppliers and ‘friends that have made this journey so so worth it’.

The closure of the store was brought forward to July 15 due to customers’ ‘amazing efforts at stocking up before closing’.

In a Facebook post on July 15 business developer and team member Thirza thanked Meg on behalf of the Scrapless community. She said: “I don’t think it is really possible to put into words what a feat this operation has been over the last three years. I’m sure we can all agree that what Meg has achieved in creating an amazing, welcoming and vibrant community of Scrapless warriors is nothing short of marvellous. Not only this, but in creating a practical offering to help us all take direct individual action in making a difference to plastic waste, our carbon footprints and on tackling the global climate crisis. The collective impact of our individual action is something that I hope that Meg can be proud of for many, many years to come.”