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slowlogius t1_ixuvrbg wrote

If you want to reduce waste, start shopping at places that encourage reusable containers and bulk food purchases. Composting food scraps goes a long way in recycling nutrients back into the soil that would otherwise end up in the landfill. The city's recycling program is just a giant weekly greenwashing event - all for show

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Basique_b t1_ixuwj5y wrote

Where can I shop that does this?

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slowlogius t1_ixux6s7 wrote

I'm a member at Weaver's Way co-op in Mount Airy! You can get pretty much any dry good there - pastas, rice, flours, seeds, nuts, spices, oils and vinegars too. I know there are other co-ops throughout the city as well.

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ryanisntreal t1_ixvrtnz wrote

Nowhere cheap, which is half the problem

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urbantravelsPHL t1_ixvtnp9 wrote

Bulk buying is the cheapest way to shop.

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[deleted] t1_ixwfb9o wrote

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amoryblainev t1_ixwtq7a wrote

I think you’re misunderstanding the use of “bulk” here. Bulk can mean one of two things- buying in bulk, such as large quantities (think Costco) OR buying by the pound, which is what we’re talking about here.

I live alone in a small 1 bedroom apartment. I don’t do the mass quantity bulk buying, because I don’t have room for the stuff and it would take much longer to go through it. I DO shop the bulk bins at stores like MOM’s, whole foods, Riverwards, Good Buy Supply, etc. Which is great for a single person or couple, because you can buy items in as little or large a quantity as you want, which means less waste. And since the items aren’t packaged, that often reduces their price per pound.

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[deleted] t1_ixx7dev wrote

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amoryblainev t1_ixx8g0j wrote

Do you realize how much baking soda a pound is? You picked a very obscure item to price match. And you’re right, online prices often don’t reflect the price in the store, especially if you’re looking at the price through a service like instacart (they increase prices at many stores on their app).

Many people buy those little orange boxes, which are a pound, and if you’re using it for cooking (in vegan baking it’s sometimes used, that’s the only reason I have a box) you never use the whole box. It sits in your cabinet for a year. If you’re using it for cleaning, sure, buy a big pack off the shelf. The point is for most uses you only need a small amount, and buying from the bulk section means you can measure out a small amount, that doesn’t cost $6. And regardless, baking soda often comes in a paper box that can be recycled.

Where bulk bins are especially helpful are for dried foods, like rice, beans, legumes, oats, spices, nuts, seeds, etc. Many stores sell bags of rice that are 3-5 pounds, and the bulk price per pound is almost always if not always cheaper. I buy a lot of dry beans, which are significantly cheaper than canned. And when you buy them from the bulk bin, they’re cheaper than the pre-bagged dry beans.

Last, out of the places I listed, Whole Foods and Riverwards have the cheapest bulk bins that I’ve seen. I listed Mom’s because it’s an option, but I don’t shop there often because the items I can’t buy in bulk are overpriced there. It’s more expensive than Whole Foods.

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_token_black t1_ixwtiey wrote

Would be nice if there was more than the 2 BJs in the city too

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amoryblainev t1_ixwtcg8 wrote

Not true. More places need to offer bulk, but for those that do, it’s often way cheaper. Go to a store that offers bulk and pick an item, like white rice or lentils. See what they charge per pound in bulk, then go find the same item on the shelf that is packaged. Almost always, it’s cheaper per pound when it’s bulk. And, you can adjust the quantity. If you’re never going to use a 5 pound bag of lentils and if it will just go to waste, it’s better to just purchase the amount you need from the bulk section. Which creates less waste. Good Buy Supply sells laundry detergent, hand soap, etc by the ounce and it’s on par with what an average name brand detergent would be.

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[deleted] t1_ixx8fbf wrote

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amoryblainev t1_ixx9i68 wrote

Who said $3-5 per pound for pasta? I buy a lot of red lentils. I just looked up packages of red lentils online, and am finding most average $3-3.50 per pound (on Amazon). I just checked Whole Foods Fresh and the cheapest I saw was $3.49 for 16 oz (1.5 pounds), which comes to $2.79 per pound. From the bulk bin at Whole Foods, organic red lentils are always less than $1.20 per pound. A 32 oz (2 pound) bag of Indian basmati rice (not organic) at Whole Foods is $4.69, which is $2.34 per pound. Again, they sell basmati rice and many other rices in the bulk bins that are always less than $1.50 per pound.

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peachyprince55 t1_ixw8hx3 wrote

Mom’s organic has locations in center city and bryn mawr and they have a variety of bulk options like dry goods, honey, soaps, and nut butters🌱

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menunu t1_ixuzadh wrote

The south philly coop has bulk too.

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JediDrkKnight t1_ixx5mrm wrote

I've been using a refill service for household goods, called "The Rounds". It's supposed to reduce packagjng for common stuff and you can return jars, bottles, and bags for them to reuse. It's pretty good! I don't use it for everything, but I haven't bought toilet paper, oil, cleaners, etc from a store in over a year.

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kellyoohh t1_ixwzyx1 wrote

Riverwards in fishtown has a dry bulk section and Rays Reusables in Northern liberties has bulk cleaning supplies and personal care items (shampoo, soap, etc.) along with a lot of other cool sustainable items!

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RoverTheMonster OP t1_ixwpjj7 wrote

Sort of related: one of the reasons I dislike the soda tax is it incentivizes the city to allow its citizens to purchase single-use plastic bottles — which inevitably become litter — and de-incentivizes any future ban that might help in the War Against Litter

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SgtKetchup t1_ixxz7ke wrote

How does the soda tax incentivize any particular type of packaging? It's applied equally to glass bottles and aluminum cans. The only format that is plastic-only is the 2-litre bottle.

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