Road trip through Oregon showed me how much I waste on food packaging

Last month I drove from Portland down to Crater Lake and stopped at this tiny grocery co-op in Eugene. They had bulk bins for everything - rice, pasta, even dish soap - and I filled up my own jars for like $12 total. It made me realize how much plastic I bring home from regular supermarkets just from pre-packaged stuff. Anyone else found a good bulk section near them that actually works for weekly shopping?

3 comments

3 Comments

wood.uma7d ago

Yeah I read something about bulk shopping actually saving money on top of cutting waste. Seems like those little co-ops are popping up more in smaller towns too, not just Portland. Might be worth checking if any local stores near you do refill stations for cleaning supplies or grains.

the_robin7d ago

@wood.uma mentioned refill stations... I've been meaning to look into that but there's something not quite right about bulk shopping always being the cheaper option. Sometimes those bulk bins at the co-op actually cost more per pound than the regular packaged stuff, especially for things like rice or beans. You really gotta do the math because a lot of places mark up the bulk items to cover the labor of refilling them. The savings only really kick in if you're splitting a whole case or a big bag with other people, not just scooping a little from a bin.

the_alex7d agoMost Upvoted

Whoa, that's a good point about smaller towns getting in on it. I think something people miss is how much extra produce you can save by doing a bulk buy with neighbors or friends. Splitting a 50-pound bag of onions or a case of apples with three other households cuts down on your individual cost and nobody has to worry about stuff going bad before they can use it. Your mileage may vary on the coordination though, gotta have someone willing to collect the money and do the pickup.