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Zero Waste Stores That Travel Well
- Kennedi Bryant
- 17 hours ago
- 4 min read
Discover Four Grocery Stores Where Bulk Bins Meet Local Flavor
If you're exploring a new city, a Zero Waste grocery store might not immediately stand out as a destination. But when you step inside, you'll notice a different rhythm to the everyday errand.
Photos by Dmitry Zimin/Shutterstock
Zero Waste grocery stores are built around reducing food waste and making it surprisingly simple. Bring a container, fill it up, and skip the excess packaging! Many of these stores work closely with local farmers and artisans, so the food on their shelves reflects the place you're visiting.
Here's a snapshot of five stores to check out on your next trip.
Maison Jar | Refillery & Grocery Store
BROOKLYN, NY
Photos by Arnaud Montagard
Maison Jar operates as both refillery and grocery, streamlining sustainable shopping into a swift three-step routine. Bring your own jar or purchase a reusable container inside. Fill the container with the product of your choice. Label your container and go on your way. It's that easy! Beyond its shelves, Maison Jar hosts year-round events—from plant and clothing swaps to kombucha happy hours—sustaining community health and connection.
Products you can find at Maison Jar:
A bulk section with over 200 products including spices, granolas, and vinegars
Fresh ground and whole bean coffee from Driftaway and Cafe Grumpy
Baking products from gluten-free flours and sugars to chocolate chips
Refillable soaps and body care, plus hair care and facial cleansers
Local Harvest Grocery
ST. LOUIS, MO
Photos by Kennedi Bryant/Tiny Cupboards
This grocery centers sustainability through intimacy, between food and its source and the neighbors who share it. The store prioritizes produce and goods grown within a short radius, keeping travel miles low and funds in the local region. Bulk bins, reusable containers, and discounted "inglorious" items—produce with blemishes or imperfections—make zero-waste shopping straightforward. Alongside fresh produce, shelves and freezers reveal an unexpected range of vegan options, from plant-based meats to desserts and frozen meals.
Highlights of Local Harvest Grocery:
The bulk section offers grains, granola, teas, as well as herbs & spices
Over half of their products come from within 150 miles of St. Louis.
Local kombucha is available on tap in three rotating flavors
Their "Pay-it-Forward" program lets customers leave grocery vouchers \for others to use later.
Zero Waste Emporium
Victoria, BC
Pioneering the refillery and minimal waste grocery space for Vancouver Island, Zero Waste Emporium is dedicated to curating a more sustainable world by reducing packaging and environmental waste. Fill your pantries with everything from bulk peanut butter and kombucha to herbs, spices, and Greek yogurt.
Discover products made by local artisans and eco-conscious tools like bamboo hair combs and biodegradable dental care. Shoppers can refill, exchange jars, and learn alongside staff how to create a sustainable future, one jar at a time.
Products you can find at Zero Waste Emporium:
Fresh produce, eggs, and dairy from local producers
Bulk organic cooking oils and vinegars in multiple varieties
Wychbury handmade soaps including dry shampoos and dishwashing bars
Artisan Climate-Positive Coffee roasted only 600 meters away
Rainbow Grocery Co-operative
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Photos by Michael Short Photography
Since 1975, Rainbow Grocery Cooperative has provided affordable vegetarian food with minimal ecological and social impact, and that commitment shows in the sheer range of its bulk department. Aisles stretch with over 800 products—coffees, grains, spices, oils, and teas—all sold by the pinch or the pound. The bulk herbs and spices section is one of the most comprehensive in the Bay Area, featuring organically grown products whenever possible, along with ethically wildcrafted herbs and specialty blends, primarily from Washington, Oregon, and the California coast. It's a place where access, variety, and intention coexist within a single shopping run.
Products you can find at Rainbow Grocery Co-op:
A huge selection of artisanal cheeses from raw to rennet-less to water buffalo
A ginormous bulk section with nuts, miso, chocolate, rice, beans and more on.
Garbanzo Bean Curry mini pies made by locally-owned Peasant Pies
Nude Foods Market
DENVER, CO
Photos by Tiny Cupboards
Nude Foods Market makes zero waste grocery shopping simple by ditching single-use packaging altogether. They have a wide array of products available packaged in reusable glass jars of various sizes, so you take exactly what you need or customize your own. But it goes beyond grain. You'll find single-serve veggie burgers and granola bars, fresh-cut fruit, and veggie broth, along with cheese, burritos, and sauces. With locations in Denver and Boulder, and a new satellite store inside Moxie Bread Co. in North Boulder, sustainable shopping is easy to fold into an everyday routine.
Products you can find at Nude Foods Market:
A bag-free snack wall for pretzels, chips, and trail mix, along with bulk pantry staples including nuts, flours, spices, nut butters, and pasta.
House-made meal kits in various sizes, with both vegan and meat options.
Prepared foods including soups, burritos, sauces, and locally made granola bars
Refillable cleaning supplies, body care refills, and toothpaste tablets
Across cities and coastlines, zero waste grocery stores show how sustainability can be built through habit. Each one does it a little differently, but they all share a common thread: supporting the communities that sustain them.
Search our Tiny Cupboards Grocery Guide to find "Zero Waste Stores" wherever you're headed next.
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