Zero waste grocery stores in New York

My name is Julie Thibault-Dury, and I am the co-founder of Closiist.com, a sustainable marketplace. I apologize at first, but I find this word “sustainable” which means “sustainable” so beautiful, almost poetic, that you will see it come up quite often in my articles on ecology in the Big Apple.

I live in New York and I am passionate about ecology. I not only created Closiistbut also a guide on YouTube on sustainable development: Green For Blue. I film my discussions with New Yorkers who want to get things done. And I share with you my “sustainable” discoveries.

Zero waste grocery stores

Today, I’d like to tell you about two New Yorkers who opened their zero-waste grocery store: That is, without plastic packaging and with the bare minimum of waste. Katerina Bogatireva led the march in 2019, in Buschwick, a Brooklyn neighborhood, with Precycle. Then Larasati Vitoux followed by opening Jar House in the Greenpoint neighborhood, still in Brooklyn.

Why did these two women want to eliminate plastic packaging in favor of a more ecological solution?

Numbers

Here are some global figures that make you think and explain their motivation:

• Since 1950, 9 billion tons of plastic have been produced.
• Only 9% was recycled and 12% incinerated.
• Most plastic items cannot be recycled more than once or twice, as plastic degrades during the recycling process.
• The remaining 7 billion tonnes (79%) of plastic waste ends up in landfills and drains, either released into nature or polluting our oceans.
• Most of this waste is packaging (1/3 of plastic production) and disposable products (PET bottles, plastic bags, straws, plastic cups, etc.).

That’s why, with the exception of a few items wrapped in compostable materials, such as deodorants and toothbrushes, these two grocery stores use little packaging.

How does a zero waste grocery store work?

You can come with your own jars or bags.

Or use clean jars left by other customers in the store.

Or buy new jars or fabric bags directly on site.

Once you have your container, if the tare is not indicated on it, you can have it weighed directly in store. The tare will be deducted, so you will only pay for the foods you have chosen.

Fill the container with the product of your choice. Take it to the checkout to be weighed again.

You can go home and lighten up your packing bin.

Where possible, they work with suppliers who recycle packaging, such as a New York company that collects buckets of honey, to support a growing circular economy that maximizes resource use.

Today, there are 9 zero waste grocery stores in NYC. And this is only the beginning.

The addresses :

– A Brooklyn

– The Manhattan

– Queens

What is Closiist?

Benjamin and Julie Thibault-Dury came to New York to open a zero-waste French restaurant. Covid and the arrival of their second child changed their plan.

They decided to continue their fight against climate change by creating a sustainable alternative to Amazon: Closiist.com

And if you are in New York on January 25, come and attend the launch of “Green For Blue”.
For more information follow this link