Hey earth muffins! One of the easiest things you can do to reduce your impact at the grocery store is to shop from the bulk section. Bringing your own containers and shopping bulk is easy… But what should you do if your town doesn’t have any bulk bins to shop at?? The city I bought my house in does not have many bulk options like the previous area I lived in. Because of this, I have had to shift my shopping habits. Here are my top tips on how to shop zero waste when you don’t have access to bulk bins!
~Make sure you check all the stores in your city!
Even if a “bulk” section isn’t listed on the website, I still recommend going to every grocery store in your area to double check there isn’t one. I’ve found stores that have smaller bulk sections this way! Or, you might find a store with a specific type of bulk item, like coffee beans. Try out all the grocery stores and health food stores when you do this. You might be surprised to find that a city you thought had no bulk bins has a couple you can work with.
~Buy in larger packages
If you have absolutely no bulk sections to shop at, buy in larger packages to reduce plastic packaging. Instead of buying a small bag of rice, invest in a huge one instead. While you need to have the funds (and the storage space) to do this, it is more cost effective and sustainable in the long term. I personally buy large bags of product and then pour a bit of it into a mason jar. Once the jar is empty I basically have my own bulk bin to refill it with! 😊
~See what you can find loose
Bulk bins are awesome because you are able to bring your own containers and fill them with loose product. Even without a bulk section you can still find a lot of loose products! This is an important “how to shop zero waste” tip because it minimizes quite a bit of plastic packaging. You can usually find fruits and veggies loose, but don’t hesitate to see if you can bring your own container for loose breads and meats at the bakery/deli!
~Always opt for cardboard or glass packaging
When buying larger portions to replace the bulk bins, make sure to opt for non-plastic packaging as much as possible. My go-tos are always glass, metal, or cardboard. I try to buy glass or metal as much as possible since those can be indefinitely recycled. Avoid plastic at all cost when grocery shopping!
~Tell your grocery stores you are wanting bulk bins!
Change only happens if people ask for it… So ask your grocery store managers when they will be getting a bulk section. 😍 Get your friends to do the same – you might actually get them to open some bulk bins if they have enough pressure. There is no harm in asking; the worst they can say is no!
~Take advantage of bulk bins when you travel to a different city
Even if you don’t have bulk in your city, that doesn’t mean you will never be able to shop the bulk bins. Take advantage of bulk shopping whenever you have the opportunity to do so! When traveling to a new city, I always do a quick Google search on zero waste shopping in the area. This is obviously easier to do when you are road tripping or traveling to a nearby city… It might be hard to do if you are flying in a plane or crossing another country’s borders. But it is always fun to check out the bulk sections in other places!
Final Thoughts
Don’t give up hope if you have no bulk bins in your city. There are plenty of other ways to shop zero waste without using a bulk section. Try to buy loose products as much as possible and avoid plastic packaging at all costs – glass and metal packages are the way to go in my opinion. Ask your store managers when they will be getting bulk… You might be able to instill some awesome change in your community! Do you have bulk bins in your area? Comment below and let me know how you reduce your waste when grocery shopping!
Love,
Jenna ♥
So many wonderful suggestions! We have bulk food stores where I live, but there isn’t a lot of variety. Something is better than nothing, I suppose!