9 Bulk & Zero Waste Stores In San Diego For Sunny, Sustainable Shopping
Sunshine, shopping, and sustainability?
We’re talking zero waste stores, San Diego style!
Whether you’re looking to refill everyday products or looking for zero waste groceries, America’s finest city is a fine place for a sustainable shopper.
With its zero waste initiatives and eclectic collection of San Diego thrift stores, it was always going to be one of the greenest cities in the US.
We’ve gathered together the crème de la eco crème of San Diego bulk stores, so you can spend less time searching “zero waste stores near me” and more time surfing.
But before you hit the beach, swing by any of these zero waste stores in San Diego to stock up on sustainable snacks and zero waste sunscreen.
The Full List of Zero Waste & Bulk Food Stores In San Diego
San Diego Zero Waste Stores
San Diego Bulk Food Stores
Bulk & Zero Waste San Diego Stores
1. Earthwell Refill
About Earthwell
Family-owned Earthwell is one of the best zero waste stores in San Diego for nontoxic personal care products (think: zero waste deodorant, natural shampoo, and more).
Bring along your empty containers for refilling or browse their range of natural products designed to support you and your family’s health.
They charge by weight, making it easy to stock up on a little or a lot of your favorite plastic-free essentials. You can find a complete list of all ingredients used in their refill products on their website.
What You Can Find
Running low on bathroom essentials?
Chances are, Earthwell stocks a low-waste replacement for it.
Whether you’re looking for zero waste lotion (no ashy elbows here), haircare, zero waste hand soap, household cleaners, makeup, skincare, or pet care, there are plenty of products to bulk up your low-waste living habits.
They also sell art from local creators to grace your walls with San Diego magic.
Location: Kensington
2. Scisters Salon
About Scisters Salon and Apothecary
Heads above the other zero waste stores in San Diego is Scisters Salon, a zero waste salon with an accompanying shoppable inventory.
It’s the place to stop for a spa day or personal care product refill.
Among the salon services on offer are haircuts and coloring, sugaring (nontoxic waxing), and Reiki.
They’ve designed their experience to be inclusive and consultative, so you can partner with your hairdresser to choose the best next step for your hair.
What You Can Find
Scisters Salon sells the shampoo, conditioner, treatment, and styling products that they use in their salon, all available for refill in reusable containers.
They also offer zero waste refillable skincare from Naim and eco-friendly makeup from Elate.
While at the salon, you can also grab sustainable perfumes, deodorant, tooth care products, or zero waste household accessories, cleaning products, and essential oil reed diffusers.
Location: La Mesa
3. Refill Pantry
About Refill Pantry
Founded by a single mom wanting something better for her kids, San Diego zero waste shop Refill Pantry provides every day zero waste essentials to help encourage a more circular, less wasteful economy.
For beginner refillers (or seasoned pros in want of a refresher), Refill Pantry provides guidance on their website on how to clean and sanitize your refillable cleaning products and containers before (re)use.
The best part: a portion of every purchase gets put back into the community, so families in need can stock up on zero waste products without the financial implications.
What You Can Find
Refill Pantry has products for everyone. Kids toys and play products, personal care items, zero waste cleaning supplies, aromatherapy solutions, and pet care items for you zero waste dog owners.
Most products are available for refill, and products that aren’t are sustainably sourced and packaged.
Location: San Diego Proper
4. The Nada Shop
About The Nada Shop
Woman-owned and operated, The Nada Shop is an online and brick-and-mortar refill store selling personal care products and around-the-home supplies.
With the refill price calculator on their website, you can estimate how much it will cost you to refill your products.
What You Can Find
One of their more unique products is the lotion candle. Simply burn the candle and rub the resulting melted oil into your skin for a lush, moisturized feeling.
Lotion candles aside, The Nada Shop offers zero waste shampoo and conditioners, hair treatments, skincare, and other personal care items like insect repellant and perfume balm.
You can also buy laundry soap and essential oil reed diffusers, both with refillable and/or compostable packaging, depending on size.
Location: Encinitas
5. Sonora Refillery
About Sonora Refillery
Based in Oceanside, Sonora Refillery offers refillable and sustainable products for shipping or shopping in-store.
They stock plant-based, reef-safe products that are free from parabens and sulfates. They source fair trade whenever possible.
What You Can Find
Refillable options include personal care products (haircare and skincare), refillable cleaning products, oils, spices, and vinegar.
Other sustainable and reusable products on offer from this zero waste San Diego store include baby care items, zero waste toothbrushes, and more.
Location: Oceanside
6. Solana Center
About Solana Center
Few things are more critical to a zero waste lifestyle than the practice of composting.
The Solana Center is a zero waste store San Diego citizens can rely on for everything composting and vermiculture (worm farming) related.
The environmental non-profit is geared at helping establish closed-loop systems at a regional level. With helpful online resources, composting kits, and supplies, you can learn all about the benefits of composting whilst supporting an impactful organization.
Make sure to check out their events and workshops, too.
What You Can Find
Thinking about dipping your toe into apartment composting?
Whether you’re looking for an indoor compost bin or worm bin, soil testing supplies, or composting kits, the Solana Center has everything you need to get started.
If you like the idea of composting but can’t manage it yourself, they also have worm castings (worm poop) for you to purchase and feed to your plants, making this a must-visit San Diego zero waste store for apartment gardening enthusiasts.
Location: Encinitas
Zero Waste Grocery Shops San Diego
7. The Mighty Bin
About The Mighty Bin
The Mighty Bin is a mighty zero waste grocery store San Diego is quickly falling in love with.
They offer bulk food and sustainable groceries, and they accept EBT, making them one of the most financially accessible and cheapest bulk grocery stores in San Diego.
All products are ethically sourced with simple ingredients and plastic-free packaging.
If you’re looking for a fun way to spend an evening, The Mighty Bin offers monthly sustainability workshops on topics such as recycling, composting, and worm farming.
So if you’ve been thinking about getting into vermicomposting through the Solana Center but are wondering what worms eat, they might just have some secrets to share.
The Mighty Bin also offers a monthly drop-off compost subscription.
What You Can Find
There are plenty of staples to keep sustainable foodies happy including dried goods, baking supplies, grains, pasta, spices, herbs, nuts, dried fruit, and more.
Produce is grown (mostly) without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and you’ll also find condiments, cooking oils, snacks, personal care, and household products.
Location: North Park
8. Bristlecone Market
About Bristlecone Market
Named after the Bristlecone Pine tree (reported to be the oldest non-clonal living species on the planet) this San Diego zero waste market aims to be similarly resilient by pursuing healthy food and zero waste.
Designed around their delivery service, Bristlecone Market delivers locally grown produce and zero waste food products in the San Diego area on the first Saturday of every month.
All produce is harvested within 24 hours of delivery, to ensure your vegetables are the freshest possible.
What You Can Find
Bristlecone Market partners with regional growers to provide you with local, seasonal produce. By ordering The Local Farmer’s Pick you’ll receive 9-10 vegetables grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
You can also purchase dry, sustainable foods like legumes, nuts, pasta, granola, and dried fruit, and zero waste lifestyle supplies like soap and refillable jars.
Naturally, for a San Diego bulk grocery, zero waste is a priority—all products come in either glass or compostable packaging.
Location: Order online for delivery
9. Ocean Beach People’s Food Co-op
About Ocean Beach People’s Food Co-op
Catering to conscious consumers since 1971, Ocean Beach People’s Food Co-op is the OG zero waste grocery store in San Diego.
This community-owned, organic grocer offers bulk ingredients, sustainable groceries, and local produce.
If you want to eat lunch but don’t want to make it yourself, they also have a bakery and vegan deli on site. Don’t forget to check out their events for some sustainable community bonding.
What You Can Find
This San Diego bulk store has a wide variety of ingredients available for refill, as well as organic local produce, wellness, health, and beauty products, alcohol, snacks, and other grocery basics.
For refillable products, have a look at their wellness department, and their fair trade bulk coffee section.
Location: San Diego
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Final Thoughts On Zero Waste Stores In San Diego
San Diego is a city with waste on the mind—namely, reducing it.
Of course, when you’ve got 70 miles of stunning beaches getting littered with ocean plastic, it’s hard not to think about it.
Fortunately, with the zero waste and bulk grocery stores San Diego is home to (not to mention the city’s zero waste plan and various beach clean-ups), it’s getting easier and easier for San Diegans to live more sustainably.
We’re all for supporting local businesses, but if you don’t want to leave the house then there are plenty of zero waste online stores and bulk online stores that ship to California as fast as you can say, “Surf’s up!”
Just ask the zero waste stores in Los Angeles…
Be sure to share the sunny, low-waste love by forwarding this list of the best zero waste stores in San Diego to your fellow waste warriors.
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