Zero-Packaging Grocery Store (Austin: fit in, homes, buying)

[capcat]

Not sure if this has been posted. The store will open in east Austin this fall if they can pull it off financially.
Zero-Packaging Grocery Store to Open in Austin, Texas - Food - GOOD

[janmc]

Zero packaging? What's next, do they pour the coffee down my throat then hand me a Big Mac and fries in my hands. Squirt ketchup on my arm? Silly concept.

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by janmc

Zero packaging? What's next, do they pour the coffee down my throat then hand me a Big Mac and fries in my hands. Squirt ketchup on my arm? Silly concept.

I haven't seen that extreme yet but I have bought many products where the packaging weighs more than the item itself. Go to Fry's Electronics and you'll see what I mean.

I remember buying 100 packs of CD-Rs for work and each friggin' CD had to be encased in its own plastic despite the fact they were all in a cardboard box. Speaking of CDs remember those long packs?

As far as food packaging is concerned reducing the waste has other benefits, e.g. its much easier to manage one 3L box of wine than 4 separate 750ml bottles.

No as a whole we should be trying to get by with less rather than assume we need more.

[eichlerfan]

Originally Posted by janmc

Zero packaging? What's next, do they pour the coffee down my throat then hand me a Big Mac and fries in my hands. Squirt ketchup on my arm? Silly concept.

Not a "silly concept" at all. Just bring your own jars and or bags to bring your stuff home in. There are lots of websites that sell all kinds of bags needed to bring your food home in if you can't find it locally or already in your home. No one laughed when people started bringing re-useable bags from home to carry your groceries home in, and now it's common practice. Well this is the same concept.

[homesteading]

Originally Posted by eichlerfan

Not a "silly concept" at all. Just bring your own jars and or bags to bring your stuff home in.

I noticed this when I lived in Germany. It is very common there. All the grocery stores have huge recycle bins at the front of the store. People remove the packaging, put it in the appropriate bin, and fill up their storage containers from home. Home garbage collection is expensive there so people are more than happy to leave the trash at the store. Far less landfill space available so the public is pretty aware of what they are contributing.

I also noticed that things are packaged differently there. Less packaging in general. Hardly ever saw a sealed bag inside a sealed box...

[cBach]

I would have a concern about cleanliness though. What if someone went to the bathroom, didn't wash their hands, then stuck their hands in the lentils? Could we have a widespread e-coli outbreak or something?

At least with bulk food containers now, it's like a dispenser so contamination cannot enter the dispenser. The open items shown in the picture could become contaminated quickly (one sneeze).

I don't know about it, from a health standpoint.

[JayBrown80]

Originally Posted by cBach

I would have a concern about cleanliness though. What if someone went to the bathroom, didn't wash their hands, then stuck their hands in the lentils? Could we have a widespread e-coli outbreak or something?

At least with bulk food containers now, it's like a dispenser so contamination cannot enter the dispenser. The open items shown in the picture could become contaminated quickly (one sneeze).

I don't know about it, from a health standpoint.

I understand what you are saying about cleanliness, but really nothing you eat is super clean.

I mean, I see people drinking out of soda cans all the time, even though god only knows how many rats and insects have run over the top of that can.

Your food is handled by about a dozen people between the farm and the grocery store. There is only so much cleaning they can do.

I think that packaging is really crazy wasteful. Everything is wrapped in plastic and individualized. Luckily eveyrone has a choice of what store they want to go to.

If you are interested, check out this woman's blog. She had to FIGHT stores to allow her to have zero packaging. It's really an interesting read. She collected ALL the trash her family of 4 produced in one year. It was barely enough to fit into a cigar box. These people are hard core.

The Zero Waste Home

[ImOnFiya]

I understand the concept, but, I'll be blunt: you and I both know they will be nothing but white people in that store - in the middle of the eastside!

Remember, folks, this is Texas y'all! Hilarious!

_ _ _ _
"No bags! What kind of store is this?! These people are crazy!"

[achtungpv]

Originally Posted by homesteading

I noticed this when I lived in Germany.

IIRC, Germany has an extra tax on manufacturers that's equivalent to the cost for disposing of their packaging. It gives manufacturers incentive to minimize packaging as much as possible.

[Dr.Mom]

If they're smart, the Container Store will open up right next to them. It's a marriage made in eco-heaven.