America's First No-Packaging Grocery Store To Open In Austin, Texas

GOOD:

Austin, Texas is already home to Whole Foods, but that won't stop a group of entrepreneurs from founding a new grocery store right in the natural food behemoth's backyard. While the new store In.gredients will also specialize in local and organic ingredients, there's one major difference between this venture and its hometown competion: In.gredients promises to be the country's first ever "package-free, zero waste grocery store."

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Comments

[The Revolving Diet]

03:19 PM on 06/29/2011

Awesome concept, over packaging of items is a problem for those watching thier weight. Being able to buy what you need is a no-brainer - just not available in conventional grocery stores.

So when are you coming to New Jersey????

[butchcliff]

08:19 AM on 06/28/2011

Always bring my own shopping bags but how do you keep your coffee separate from your flour. Does this mean bring your own baggies or containers?

[KIVPossum]

01:39 PM on 06/27/2011

Good. In east Europe you pay for bags - under a dime for a cheapo that will spit carrying two beers, up to 30 cents for one that will carry 3 or 4 kilos.

We use the ubiquitous woven plastic bags - for under a two bucks you have something that will carry 6 kilos easily and last for years.

[adamben]

12:24 PM on 06/27/2011

nice. hopefully other stores will at least charge for bags; great way to reduce usage.

[Alice Radley]

08:44 PM on 06/26/2011

Wow! Talk about a great and healthy idea. If more people shopped like that, they're be thinner and healthier. After all, there would be no room for all the packaged, processed garbage that makes people fat and sick. Real, whole, natural foods. What a concept!

[robinhood1]

07:50 PM on 06/26/2011

People with allergies should be concerned about cross contamination from one bin to another.

[Puffin16]

02:52 PM on 06/24/2011

Surprising this is in Texas, not considered one of the most forward-thinking states.

[Brazosmud]

05:33 PM on 06/24/2011

Stupid thing to say.

[Puffin16]

12:53 PM on 06/25/2011

Stupid and MEAN thing to reply.

[jsarets]

05:47 PM on 06/24/2011

You've never been to Austin. It's like San Francisco in the middle of Texas, except with a lot more space. I lived there for a few years, and now I live near SF. Austin has about as many vegan restaurants, bike shops, poetry slams, and struggling musicians per capita as anywhere in America.

The demographics are college students (UT), government workers, high-tech professionals, and immigrants (mostly Mexican with pockets of Vietnamese). The official t-shirt of Austin is tie-dye with the slogan "Keep Austin Weird". Very liberal, not only for Texas, but for America in general.

[mary896]

12:36 PM on 06/24/2011

I've been doing this at my local co-op grocery for years and years along with many others in my community. We have to co-ops in our little town, we're VERY furtunate. I buy 70% of ALL my groceries in bulk. I have a storage space by my front door (courtesy of my hubby) where I keep all sizes of jars (I prefer glass for it's airtightness, cleanliness and durability) and other containers. It's actually fun! I reuse all of my bread bags, etc. as well. Great at farmer's markets. I have some olive oil bottles I bought at Trader Joe's about 12 years ago that I refill with bulk oil ever month. Just that one thing alone has kept hundreds of bottles from being created, filled, transported, bought, then used and set to the curb for 'recycling' which takes mountains of energy to turn into something else. REUSE until you can't anymore before recycling. Peace.

[DavidMG]

12:19 PM on 06/24/2011

There are many similar reuse activities documented to "Choose to Reuse." They include pie plates, dry cleaning bags, juice and milk containers and packaging of all kinds.

[capsaicin]

11:51 AM on 06/24/2011

This is a great trend, but I would point out that 1) it isn't a no-packaging store because the article says "If a shopper doesn't have his own containers, the store will provide compostable ones", and 2) neighborhood co-ops have already been doing this for decades for all of their bulk products. But it's good to see the idea catching on!

[spitfiredd]

11:44 AM on 06/24/2011

How do they compensate for the weight of the containers you bring in?

[capsaicin]

11:53 AM on 06/24/2011

At the co-ops around here, it's sort of an honor system where you write the weight of the container on the outside (or tell the cashier) and they "tare" out that weight from the total.

[LHoney]

01:56 PM on 06/24/2011

It says in the video, you weight your container empty and make a note of it somewhere.

[klbrz]

11:39 AM on 06/24/2011

I've been wondering why no one has done that, yet.

I've thought maybe even a store like Aldi or Walmart could have some sections of the store where the products have the worst packaging, like soap, laundry things, and at least offer the few very best sellers in bulk.

[French Toast]

10:13 AM on 06/24/2011

Total ownage. I would shop at one if it were here. I've been waiting for something like that for all of my life.