Full Circle, the not-for-profit refill scheme run by Chester community interest company Eco Communities, has celebrated its first birthday by opening its fourth refill hub, at Cheshire Home Store in Chester Market – the first open to browsing shoppers.

Helen Tandy, founding director of Eco Communities, said:

“What started as an idea to bring refill back to Chester as a not-for-profit, with home delivery, grew into an unmanned hub in Hoole. I never imagined that a year later we’d have two more hubs, our first open hub at Cheshire Home Store thanks to the kind support of Connor and Will, and a garage full of Fill products! The feedback from the public has been fantastic, and we can’t wait to see where the next year takes us.”

Full Circle started in October 2025, bringing refill back to Chester with home delivery. It now has four collection hubs: Hoole Community Centre, Neston Community Youth Centre, Helsby Library and Cheshire Home Store. Customers order household and personal care refills online, including laundry liquid, washing-up liquid, hand wash, shampoo and body wash, then collect from their nearest hub and refill or swap their empty Fill bottles for full ones.

The launch event on Thursday 29 October brought together customers, volunteers and local supporters to mark a year of helping people across Cheshire cut single-use plastic from their weekly shop.

Emily Reid, director at Eco Communities, who tracks the scheme’s impact, said:

“Small refills really do add up to a big impact. In our first year, Full Circle has saved 362 single-use plastic bottles and around 40kg of CO2. That’s the same as driving a petrol car 100 miles or charging a smartphone more than 3,600 times. Our Hoole hub alone now has 52 regular users, and we’re excited to see those numbers grow across all four hubs.”

Every Full Circle purchase helps fund Eco Communities’ work across Cheshire, from refill and reuse to community litter picks, blister pack recycling and reusable party kit hire.

The Cheshire Home Store hub is the first that shoppers can browse in person. Online customers can still order online, then show staff their order email to collect.

Find out more and order at https://ecocommunitiesuk.com