Want Not Waste

Johnny James, Managing Editor
Want Not Waste

Want Not Waste is a student-run, not-for-profit zero waste shop operating out of Academy 1 at the University of Manchester Students’ Union. Their aim is to make sustainable living accessible to all by providing low cost dried goods, cleaning products, and lifestyle products from local and student-run businesses.

Set up in 2019 as a little pop-up shop with a big mission –  to help tackle the plastic crisis within Manchester and globally – Want Not Waste has gone on to be a permanent fixture within the Students’ Union, where the shop provides much more than plastic free alternatives. It focuses on a wide range of sustainability issues and acts a hub for learning and community, offering everything from slow-stitch repair workshops to TerraCycle schemes to clothes swaps.

As a not-for-profit project, they’re able to sell products at a cost much lower than you’ll find elsewhere, and all of it is plastic free. Think a wide range of dried goods and cupboard essentials (spices, pulses, grains, teas and the like), ethical, non-toxic cleaning products and plastic-free bathroom essentials, such as menstrual cups, homemade soaps, refillable shampoo and conditioners. Much of their stock falls into the refillable category – just buy or bring a container, weigh it empty, fill it with the product, weigh it again and pay.

Another thing that separates Want Not Waste from the many Zero Waste Shops in Greater Manchester is their commitment to the way they source. The majority of their stock comes from student enterprises, small businesses and graduate start-ups. As a hub for social justice, they also support many activism groups through advertising, event collaboration or by stocking their products – so expect to see some campaign merchandise in store, too.

All in all it’s a great little spot on Oxford Road, and one that’s genuinely affordable to many. It’s that, at the end of the day, that will help nudge sustainable shopping from the fringes to the becoming the norm.

Manchester Academy 1ManchesterM13 9PR View map
Visit Now

Opening Hours

  • Monday10:00am - 2:00pm
  • Tuesday10:00am - 2:00pm
  • Wednesday10:00am - 2:00pm
  • Thursday10:00am - 2:00pm
  • Friday10:00am - 2:00pm

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

What's on near Want Not Waste

Wolf in Yellowstone
Until
ExhibitionsManchester
Wild at Manchester Museum

Manchester Museum explores the concept of ‘wild’ nature as a means of tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis in a new exhibition.

free entry

Where to go near Want Not Waste

Whitworth Park, Manchester
Manchester
Park
Whitworth Park

This 18-acre park opposite the Manchester Royal Infirmary provides a welcome patch of green in an otherwise densely populated and heavily used part of the city.

Manchester
Music venue
Manchester Academy 3

Brilliant venue for catching a touring band on the rise. The boringly titled Academy 3 or more interesting Hop and Grape, as it was once known, is a self contained…

Cafe at the Museum
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
The Cafe
at the Museum

Manchester Museum’s cafe is run by the people behind award-winning cafe Teacup Kitchen. The menu features home-baked cakes, the finest loose leaf teas and breakfast, as well as a wide selection of mains and meals for kids.

Manchester Academy music venue on Oxford Road Manchester.
Manchester
Music venue
Manchester Academy

The Manchester Academy is a mid size, modern warehouse venue adjacent to the University of Manchester Students’ Union. It lacks any architectural merit and has always been a difficult place…

Universally Manchester Festival 6-9 June 2024
Manchester
The University of Manchester

Celebrating its 200th year in 2024, The University of Manchester is the largest single-site university in the UK, and boasts come incredible cultural institutions, found on campus, across Manchester and…

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Big Hands

Big Hands is the one-time haunt of legendary Manchester band Elbow; it’s shabby, loud and dark, with a jukebox and excellent roof terrace.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Kro Bar

Kro Bar, Manchester is an independent pub and music venue housed (somewhat ironically) in the former Temperance Society building.

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Dynamic dance, party-performance, high-energy stand-up and a site-specific show set in a pub. All this and more in our newest theatre guide.

Okechukwu Nzelu
Literature Events in the North

If it's inspiring, inclusive events and avant-garde, experimental afternoons you're after, look no further than live literature this spring – we've got you covered.

A woman sits in a car with hands holding the steering wheel.
Cinema in the North

Vintage Alfred Hitchcock and a family friendly film festival are amongst our highlights this May.

Sextile
Music in the North

Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring. 

Laura Ellen Bacon, Into Being, 2025. Photo © India Hobson, courtesy Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Exhibitions in the North

Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Tours and Activities in the North

We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.