To add your store, comment below
Bulk food stores, or even bulk aisles, are amazing ways to save money and eliminate unnecessary packaging. The key to this is to bring your own reusable tote bags. If the weight of your bag is significant enough to effect the price, make sure to write the weight of the bag ON your bag, so the cashier can quickly and easily tare the weight off of the final price.
This is KEY to reducing waste. Simply buying bulk food to use one of the store’s thin plastic bags is not zero waste, and it is not sustainable. At that rate, it’s better to buy something packaged in compostable cardboard.
Some stores may offer compostable or biodegradable bags to use. To this I say, please only use them in an emergency, and only if your community is actually able to compost those materials, unless they can be composted in home composters– but in my experience, I have never found a ‘compostable’ plastic bag that I could compost in my backyard.
Here is a list I’ve compiled of stores around the U.S. that offer a variety of food in bulk:
Isla Vista Food Co-op in the Santa Barbara area of CA has bulk snacks, dry goods, baking supplies, herbs & spices, tea, soap, lotion, shampoo, and conditioner.
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Most thoroughly updated list online. THANK YOU!!!
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Central Market in Texas is *really* big on bulk foods.
Sigona’s Farmers Market in Redwood City and Palo Alto, CA should be on the list too!
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Added, thank you!
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Wild Terra in Los Angeles carries organic bulk herbs, teas, spices, oils, body care products, pantry staples, and more.
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Added, thank you!!
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Reap & Sow in Oceanside, CA offers Laundry Soap, Soap Nuts, Laundry Pods, Dish Soap, Auto Dishwasher Gel, All Purpose Cleaner, Glass Cleaner, Floor Cleaner, Tub & Tile Cleaner, Hand Soap, Body Soap, Body Lotion, Body Butter, Teas, Herbs, Clays, Salts, Sugar, Beeswax, and more. They are a pilot store for Dr. Bronner’s will have bulk Castile Soap soon. Bar Soap, Shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and dish soap. Dental chew tabs, dental floss, They make their own hand sanitizer and deodorant which is available in bulk. They encourage customers to bring their own containers but also have glass to purchase. Additionally, they offer Terracycle recycling program for the customers
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Beautiful! Added, thank you!
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The Food Mill in Oakland, CA is a hidden gem. They have bulk dry goods, nut butters, honey, teas, and even herbs in rarely seen in bulk like red ginseng power. Stumbled on this place when I was exploring the area!
https://goo.gl/maps/u3Akq7TSPxPeXPmY7
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Added, thank you!! 🙂
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Hello ZWC! I would love for my low waste shop to be added to your directories. prostainable has been at Calabasas, Pacific Palisades, Hidden Hills Farmer’s Markets since Oct 2019 and will be opening a store in Woodland Hills in June 2020. Thank you for all that you do to help people find where to shop and refill.
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Added! Congratulations on the new opening! 🙂
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Can anybody point me to a similar list of bulk buy stores in Ireland (Europe)?
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Northern Ireland? https://zerowastecalifornia.org/2019/12/09/ukzerowastestores/
I can work on a general Ireland list 🙂
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The Fillerup Shop in Morgan Hill, California carries bulk refill household cleaners and body care products as well as reuse wares such as straws, cutlery, produce bags and more. We’d love to be added to your directory.
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Awesome! Added, thank you! Can’t wait to check it out, the shop is pretty close to my house 🙂
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The Re-Up Refill Shop offers a range of ecological bath, body, cooking, kitchen, and cleaning products in refillable containers, reducing waste from single-use plastics. Based in Oakland, CA, we offer a brick and mortar location where folks can bring their own containers or use ours and pay-by-volume. We also offer free local bicycle delivery. ReUpRefills.org
Thanks for adding us! Love what you are doing.
Matt
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Added! Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope I get a chance to stop by the shop soon!
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The Silo Package-Free Pantry here! Zero-waste, organic, and locally grown bulk food and pantry staples delivered to your door in recycled and compostable paper bags! We satisfy all your zero-waste needs.
https://www.thesilopantry.com
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Hi! We opened our refill station, The Well Refill, 4 months ago in Topanga Canyon and would love to be added to your list. All our info is listed on our website: thewellrefill.com
Thank you!
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Added! Thank you so much and congrats!!
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