Winco, the under rated zero waste store.

The secret to making this grocery store low waste/zero waste.

I’ll start with the disclaimer that Winco is not in every state. As of now they are in 11 states, mostly towards the west. In my town Winco is the cheapest grocery store. I’ve heard multiple stories of people switching from Safeway to Winco and their groceries cost half as much.

But the feature that makes Winco really shine for low waste shopping is their bulk section. As a vegan with a low grocery budget, their bulk section makes up the majority of my pantry.

This is of course just one aisle of their bulk section

We know one big goal of zero waste living is to cut down on unnecessary packaging. One great way to do that is to bring your own reusable container to a zero waste store. But zero waste stores are pretty sparse. So if that isn’t available you can try to bring your own container to a store with a good bulk section. However, not every store lets you bring your own reusable containers, and sadly Winco is no exception.

Reuse the stores plastic produce bags

Winco prohibits the use of outside containers for their bulk section. The easy work around for this is to simply reuse their bulk bags as much as possible. Winco is the main place I’ve gotten my groceries from for about 4 months. I haven’t had any problems with cashiers or store staff asking about the reused bags I bring in.

What if the bags start to rip

These bags aren’t the sturdiest, embarrassingly on my last grocery the bag I was filling up with quinoa ripped, and spilled all over. But, a small tear doesn’t mean the bag is completely useless. You can still use it for produce or for larger items from the bulk section.

Even if a bag is no longer usable, don’t toss it, and don’t put it in with your regular recycling. An increasing number of grocery stores are setting up drop boxes for thin plastic recycling. Once your bag has run it’s course, simply take it to one of the locations near you. To find a plastic film recycling drop off simply use this site.

While reusing plastic produce bags may not be the perfect solution, it is certainly better than getting new bags every time. Plus Winco is more accessible, and certainly more affordable than most zero waste shops.