I try to do most of my grocery shopping on the weekends with a thoughtfully planned menu for the upcoming week. Here’s what a typical weekend grocery haul looks like:
Saturday: I brought my own bag to Brossard Bagel where I bought two dozen bagels. I filled up my containers at Épicerie LOCO with cream, oil, flours, sugar, eggs and cheese and traded in my empty yogurt jar for a full one.
Sunday: Proof that you CAN shop zero waste at regular grocery stores. I bought package-free organic produce at Avril Supermarché Santé. I shopped the meat, cheese, bread and spice counters at Marché Adonis where they gladly used my containers.
If you’d like to learn how to shop package-free, check out my detailed zero waste grocery shopping post. Happy shopping!
I live in a small town at least a half hour from a city. How do I zero waste if there is no bulk items and buying things like berries are in plastic clam shells?
Are there any stores in your town with bulk aisles? You might be able to bring you own mesh bags there. Lots of grocery stores have bulk coffee aisles, and I’m seeing more and more stores with bulk aisles for nuts, candy and dried fruit (even Walmart).
Are there bulk stores in the city? If so, make big runs when you do go and stock your pantry! 🙂
For berries, are there farms or farmer’s market’s near you? Often you can transfer those berries into your own container and give back the container for the vendors to reuse. And when berries are in season, lots of grocery stores carry local berries in cardboard trays. You can also make an activity out of berry picking. Last year, my son and I picked a LOT of berries then froze them for use the rest of the year.
Let me know if I can help with anything else!