Zero Waste Stores: Trendy or Trash?

by: Amath Diouf

If you’ve seen posts with the #PlasticFreeJuly hashtag, then this is for you! If you haven’t, here’s your chance to learn why you should care! #PlasticFreeJuly is the month that sheds light on the plastic waste crisis affecting our planet and what we can do to change it.

Many solutions exist to minimize the overwhelming impact of plastic pollution, but I wanted to find an approach that was more proactive than just a beach clean-up.

That’s when I google searched: “Zero Waste Stores near me”

Google brought forth “zero results”… So, I had to do more digging.

I was able to find 3 places in Raleigh — the city I currently live in — where people can grocery shop and be literless. There were farmers markets here and there and a few sections of grocery stores that sold grains and candy in bulk, but no full out zero waste store.

What’s up with that? I was curious to see why there were not as many options to go plastic free.

What’s a Zero Waste Store?

Imagine, a store that removes all forms of unnecessary waste from their business models. We’re talking no plastic wrap, no single-use plastics, no cardboard. Instead, products like chocolate, oats, and dried fruit were sold in bulk bins. Zero-waste stores also focus on selling personal care products like toothbrushes, soaps, and shampoo bars that are also sold in bulk.

Why are Zero Waste Stores Important?

Zero-waste stores go beyond the reduce, reuse, and recycle model. It’s the refusal of waste from the beginning. According to National Geographic, about 91% of plastic waste is not recycled. The plastics that our food is packaged with can contain a multitude of substances that make it hard to recycle. Most of the plastics we use are either thermoplastic or thermosetting. These plastics harden as they are heated which makes them extremely difficult to properly recycle. 

Taking the step to refuse single-use plastics (from packaging to the bags they’re stocked in) shows just how impactful this can be towards the 275,000+ tons of plastic litter produced by Americans yearly. 

Throughout the years, I continuously reduce my plastic use using reusable bags and water bottles. Even with these steps, I continue to have difficulty reducing plastic waste in my everyday life, because from cookie dough mixes to laundry detergent, avoiding plastic is practically impossible. The current business model that most companies are following right now is to produce goods cheaply and to put them in even more cheap packaging. So it leaves consumers like you and me without many options.

So I think the rise of zero waste stores may actually be the start of providing people the ability to have less of the burden on themselves to figure out how to reduce plastic. It can be an opportunity for businesses to rethink how they are producing and selling items as well.

Another reason why I believe zero waste stores are important is due to the fact that they initially promote the “take what you need” approach. Around 40 percent of the food that we purchase ends up straight in the garbage. This is due to our “eyes being bigger than our stomachs.” I feel that once we have the experience of filling our own jars or reusable bags scoop by scoop, we can choose the quantity that works for us without being limited to the quantity regular stores provide.

But… Let’s Be Real- To Whom Do These Stores Cater?

Even with all the ways that zero waste stores can help us out, I’d like to address the reasons why these stores are not nationwide and what barriers are preventing people from living a zero-waste lifestyle.

It’s important for us to not get too carried away with the benefits of zero- waste stories, as the truth is – we can’t just buy our way out of the climate crisis or the plastic crisis. We have to address the reality that many stores like this aren’t designed to cater to the every day person. They are catered to a niche set of the population (that’s typically whiter or wealthier), and avoid actively addressing the systemic inequalities that are driving the plastic crisis in the first place.

We have to remain critical of any “solution” that does not provide mass accessibility as it will just continue to serve as a tool for green washing, and not real progress to tackle today’s world issues.

Accessibility to Zero Waste Stores

One of the barriers that come to mind when talking about the increase in zero-waste stores is that it is incredibly financially inaccessible. Not everyone has the resources or access to the items needed to live a zero-waste life let alone purchase products from a zero-waste store. BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities are not only predominantly impacted by environmental hazards, but they are also more likely to experience food insecurity over their white counterparts.

With fresh markets and fresh food being scarce in minority communities, it seems disingenuous to presume people in these marginalized communities could easily access this type of service. The places that food can be bought for cheap are fast food restaurants that have continued to single-use plastics and wasteful packaging. A zero-waste store found in a low-income community that does not have products or convenience to actually serve that community seems counterintuitive.

As covid-19 has continued to halt brick and mortar shops from fully functioning, it’s even tougher for vulnerable communities to just make it through their day-to-day lives. Thus making what would be deemed “wasteful” institutions like fast-food places or convenience stores that only have plastic bags, to be the only option available for these communities.

Additionally, even though people may hate on it, stores like Amazon and Walmart that also are predominantly using excessive single-use packaging, are making it very easy for communities all over to access necessities during this time. Zero-waste stores are a tough sell to compete with options that actually meet communities where they’re at. However, as the plastic crisis continues to grow and more companies are definitely not being held accountable for the plastic they’re producing, a zero-waste store could really be an important shift toward developing a circular economic system in the future.

So what can we do about it?

The continual increase in plastic pollution is a fight that needs to include everyone in order for us to have a chance at saving our communities, our land, and our sea. In order for zero waste stores to be more prominent in the United States, I believe we need to be mindful that the playing field is not fair and we need to find ways to make zero waste alternatives more accessible to BIPOC.

So zero-waste stores need to take a hard look at themselves and examine how they are/ are not being accessible to BIPOC communities. They also need to be a hub of information to also educate people about why the plastic crisis is happening in the first place and their role in changing the system around that. Without an intersectional lens that actually addresses that the corporate world needs to do better about its poor packaging/ production practices, zero-waste stores may simply remain another greenwashing tool.

The burden of plastic waste should not be placed on BIPOC communities- so those with the privilege and access to even buy products from zero waste stores should also take a step back. To re-examine and analyze the barriers to entry for something like this, and to not settle at a zero-waste store being the end goal for a sustainable future. This sustainable future will not create proper space for low-income communities or communities of color to feel welcomed.

At the end of the day, a zero-waste store is not going to save us from the plastic crisis. We must continue to educate ourselves about the detrimental effect that plastic has on our communities, our livelihoods, and our planet. From there we can try to reduce our plastic use and encourage family and friends to learn about the roots of the plastic crisis as well.

We can then bring these much-needed discussions and action plans to our community through petitions, reaching out to leaders that have a rapport with local government, and calling out bigger corporations and companies to shift the culture around plastic production. Right now is the perfect time for people to connect online and educate each other about why plastic is harming us, and how we can continue challenging the system that is making this happen in the first place.

People who own, shop, and benefit from zero waste stores must be accountable for doing this critical work too. Otherwise, we will continue to create a gap between the haves- and the have-nots in the sustainability world, and well – that’s not quite sustainable at all.

If executed with tact and critical analysis, a zero-waste store in the future could eliminate a lot of barriers to entry for low-income communities in the future to benefit from a plastic- free option. Hopefully, we can continue to work together to make that happen!

Amath Diouf is a Muslim, Black, Senegalese, French American who aspires to be socially and environmentally conscious and work towards self-care and world-care insha Allah (God Willing)! He promote stewardship and health & wellness by encouraging himself and others to explore ourselves and the great outdoors. By finding ways to strengthen our inner and outward connections, he hope for us to all be better stewards on Earth.