With Earth Day coming up, this week’s strategy is a great place to start for eco friendly habits! This month we are figuring out our options for plastic free snacks. One option is to buy snacks that don’t have plastic packaging, the other is to make and store snacks without single-use plastic. For this post we are going to focus on the snacks we can buy without plastic at the bulk food bins.
The primary resource for plastic free snacks (at least that come to my mind) are from bulk food bins, specifically the self-serve kind. So, let’s explore the bulk bin option a bit more…
Using the bulk food bins for snacks
If you’ve been to a self-serve bulk food store with all the bins and wall canisters then you probably know how much variety you can find in one of these places. Also, these bulk bins are the best option for going plastic-free with many of your pantry items!
However, you may have seen those little plastic bags there and wondered, “doesn’t that defeat the purpose of cutting down on single-use plastics?” Because if you use the plastic bag it feels like you’re just trading out one plastic packaging for another. Many stores have started to use the biodegradable bags, but still, it’s best to just not use a single-use bag in the first place if you can avoid it.
To avoid using those little plastic bags you’ll need to bring in your own container(s).
What plastic free snacks can you find in the bulk food bins?
I’ll go over my experiences with bringing in my own containers to buy in bulk. Plus, some resources for finding bulk food stores in your area. But first, let’s go over some snack foods you can typically find at a bulk food store, or a store with a bulk bin section.
- Dried fruit
- Nuts and seeds (flavored or unflavored)
- Sesame sticks
- Pretzels
- Chocolate covered fruit or nuts
- Some type of cookie(s)
- Roasted flavored chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or peas
- Granola
- Trail mixes
As you can see, there’s quite a few food options you can use to make your own grab-n-go snack kits for when you’re heading out in a hurry.
Stores with bulk food bins
There are 2 types of stores that have the self-serve bulk food bins, there used to be 3 but it looks like things changed after the pandemic. One type is the bulk grocers and the others are stores with bulk food bin sections.
Type of store 1 – Bulk food store
This is the type of grocery store that is designed for refills and to bring in your own container. As a starting point, let’s talk about the Minimal Market in Loveland,CO. It is a specialty grocery store that carries shelf stable pantry items in bulk bins and refillable personal and home care products. This type of specialty grocery store is referred to as a bulk food store, zero waste store, sustainable grocery, bulk grocer, or a refillery.
Note – not all zero waste stores and refilleries carry food items.
Procedure for using your container at a bulk grocer
A bulk grocer has all their food in bulk bins or wall canisters. There will be scales and labels placed around the store for you to weigh your containers you brought from home.
- Use the scale to weigh the container.
- Write the weight on a label then find the food bin you’d like to buy from.
- The bin will have a number on it. Write this number on the same label you wrote the weight on.
- Fill your container however full you’d like.
- Take your filled container to the counter and the attendant will weigh your container, minus the container weight. This will give them the weight of the food.
- Repeat this procedure for all your containers.
Don’t be afraid to ask the attendants for assistance if you’re not sure about something. And if you do forget to bring a container, or you see an extra yummy you want to try, there are usually paper or plastic bags available. Just be sure try and bring an extra container the next time.
Type of store 2 – Grocery store with extensive bulk food bins
There are also stores that carry regular grocery items but have a fairly extensive bulk bin section, like Sprouts. Sprouts is in several states, so if you don’t have an actual bulk food store in your area, there’s a chance you might have a Sprouts, or something similar. Food Coops are another place where I’ve seen this type of store setup.
A few months ago I tried to use my own container at the Sprouts bulk bins. Here’s a breakdown of how it went…
- I started by checking the Sprout’s website for their bring-your-own-container policy, and the process went as the site stated.
- Then, I took my empty container to the cashier and they weighed it.
- The cashier wrote the weight on the container.
- I filled my container from the bin, then at checkout they reweighed my filled container (minus the container weight), and that was it!
This might be different for other grocery chains so be sure to check your local store’s faqs page to see if they cover that topic. However, I can confirm that in 2025, you can bring your own container to fill at the bulk bins in Sprouts.
Type of store 3 – Grocery store with a few bulk food bins/wall canisters
These are actually becoming quite rare. Many people online have commented how major grocery chains have stopped offering self-serve bulk bins ever since the pandemic. So, unfortunately I can’t tell you much about using your own container at this type of store. But if I come across one I’ll definitely update this section. Or, if you have a store like this in your area, please mention it in the comments below.
Where to find self-serve bulk food stores
For grocery chains with self-serve bulk food sections, Sprouts is the only one I’ve come across so far. Many of the larger food coops I’ve tried also have bulk food sections. As for the specialty bulk grocers and refilleries, these don’t always come up with a regular google search (unless you’re specifically searching for them). Because they’re considered a specialty store, they can frequently go unnoticed. But there are several bulk food/zero waste/refillery store map listings to help with finding them. I’ve listed a few of the sites below.
- Litterless.com – This has the most comprehensive list for Colorado.
- Rusticstrength.com – For home and personal care refilleries.
- Localzerowaste.com – Mostly lists shops in the UK.
This list of directory sites used to be longer. When I did these searches earlier in the year there were more to chose from, but now some of the links don’t work. So, I’d just like to mention that Litterless is one of the longest lasting and most comprehensive of the bulk food and refillery finders that I’ve come across.
Alternative bulk food providers
For bulk food I also recommend checking out Azure Standard. They are an alternative food distributor that carries natural and organic foods at bulk prices. I recommend them because they carry a good variety of food items but also because having alternative food distributers like Azure helps to create more sustainable food systems in general. My affiliate link will take you to their site (Azure)* so you can learn more about alternative food systems.
Thankfully shopping bulk, in almost any form, will usually help to cut down on plastic waste.
Affiliate disclosure – I will only recommend products that I personally use and love and hope can be of benefit to others in their sustainable journeys. (*) indicates an affiliate link where Sustainable Pursuits llc may receive a small compensation for product recommendations. This helps to support Sustainable Pursuits llc and my ability to share these experiences with you!
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