Did you know trillions of pieces of microplastics end up in beautiful San Francisco Bay each year? Throughout the area, state water quality standards have been exceeded for pesticides, invasive species, mercury, and toxic substances. Unlike the bay, it’s crystal clear ‘Frisco has to do better, because while everyone loves Full House, no one loves a house full of plastic.

Fortunately, we already know the key to the Golden Gate of sustainability: zero waste and bulk stores in the Bay Area.

Back in 2002, San Fran set its sights on becoming the first zero waste city in America, a goal as steep as the city’s streets. Through actions like the Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance, they succeeded in diverting 75% of waste by 2008, now aiming to reduce landfill or incineration disposal by another 50% by 2030.

Slowly but surely, San Francisco is becoming a zero waste city, in part thanks to the many thrift stores and zero waste stores San Francisco and the wider Bay Area offers.

Exploring The Best San Francisco Bulk Stores

  1. The Daisy Refillery Jump to store
  2. Simple Jump to store
  3. Ethos Jump to store
  4. Fillgood Jump to store
  5. Re-Up Refills Jump to store
  6. The Source Zero Jump to store
  7. The Fillerup Shop Jump to store
  8. Refill Madness Jump to store
  9. Rainbow Grocery Cooperative Jump to store
  10. North Coast Co-Op Jump to store
  11. Other Avenues Co-op Jump to store
  12. Alameda Natural Grocery Store Jump to store
  13. Canyon Market Jump to store

The Daisy Refillery

Image by The Daisy Refillery (zero-waste-stores-san-francisco)

We know San Fran is a big place and getting around to different zero waste stores can be a challenge. But everything’s coming up daisies for the less mobile thanks to The Daisy Refillery. This one woman show and mobile refill service understands that living sustainability is still a privilege and wants to make it more accessible to more people.

They make zero waste shopping easy as can be. Just fill up your online cart like you would any online store and schedule a local “milkman-style” delivery at checkout for a minimal fee based on their Zone Map. Alternatively, you can find them at various rotating markets around the city or schedule a house call and set up a temporary refill station on your block to encourage your neighbors to live lower waste, too!

The van may be small, but their product offerings are huge. In addition to refills of body and home care products (like cleaning solutions, skin care, sustainable oral care, and hair care), they also offer other essentials reusable and zero waste swaps, like beeswax wraps, Swedish dishcloths, and much more. Each product includes usage, care, and end-of-life instructions

It’s all (obviously) plastic-free and made of sustainable ingredients. For sourcing, they prioritize partnering with certified sustainable brands (i.e. Certified B Corps and 1% for the Planet members) and small businesses that are vetted on a strict set of sustainability standards.

On top of all that, The Daisy Refillery is a certified California Green Business and a 1% for the Planet member since founding.

Simple

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Simple features a full-range of plastic-free products that have been carefully curated from local makers, all of which are vetted to ensure they meet company standards and ethics. This mission-focused San Francisco zero waste store strives to facilitate fundamental change by addressing our consumption of single-use plastics.

You can find bulk refills on household essentials like shampoo and conditioner, laundry detergent, glass cleaner, hand sanitizer, and more.

Curate your very own zero waste skin care routine with facial cleanser, facial moisturizer, facial lotion, and sunscreen (for when that pesky fog lifts and lets the sun shine through).

Ethos

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We love a store with great ethos, which is why Ethos is one of our favorite zero waste shops San Francisco offers.

Body care essentials are a must-buy here, with options for zero waste deodorant, bathroom toiletries, menstrual products, and more. If you’re just dipping your toes into zero waste, their kits are an easy way to get started cutting out some of our most common daily plastic use. They also have curated boxes for kitchens and self-care routines.

Products are sourced from local, minority-owned businesses whenever possible. As a member of 1% for The Planet, they donate 1% of gross profits to environmental and social justice nonprofits. Through Carbon Ethics, Ethos has completely offset all of their carbon emissions from shipping operations.

Fillgood

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Stepping a little outside proper San Francisco, Fillgood partners with local zero waste businesses to provide durable, natural products for everyday use. Their products are cruelty-free, organic, and almost entirely vegan.

All the usual suspects line their shelves—hair and personal care products, refillable cleaning products, and every day reusables (recycled paper towels, anyone?)—as well as more unique and hard-to-find items. Conscious parents should definitely check out their baby section, which features various baby essentials like bamboo feeding spoons, bum salve, diaper balm, baby soap bars, dish soap, toys, and kids sunscreen.

If you don’t find yourself in Berkley that often, Fillgood may deliver to your house or a nearby pickup location.

Fillgood works with various plastic-fighting nonprofits in the community. One such organization is SeaTrees, a non-profit providing funding to protect our vulnerable ocean ecosystems through kelp forest restoration, mangrove planting, and coral reef preservation. This women-owned store purchases verified carbon offsets and runs on 100% renewable electricity.

Re-Up Refills

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Re-Up Refills is one of the best refill stores San Francisco has to offer. You’ll find a range of ecological bath, body, kitchen, and food products available in bulk

Re-Up Refills raises the bar with their bath and body bars. They have bars of all shapes and sizes from shampoo, conditioner, facial cleansing bars, to cleaning refills and pet shampoo bars. Speaking of pets, your zero waste dog will shower you in love when they taste the upcycled dog treats Re-Up offers. These treats are made from ReGrained spent flour, chicken broth, and ripe banana.

Re-Up has rigorous sourcing standards, prioritizing local, circular, minority-owned businesses with plastic-free products. In the name of transparency, you can meet the makers supplying these quality products.

The Source Zero

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The first zero waste store in San Jose, woman-owned The Source Zero brings together other small women-owned businesses in the Bay to provide resources for plastic-free living.

This one-stop shop has all of your body care and home care goods. They sell curated body care kits that include sustainable perfume, deodorant, and body cream in fun scents like cat lady and dirty hipster. For coffee lovers (or addicts) out there, be sure to grab one of their coffee kits, complete with a reusable cloth and filters, travel mug, and a locally made coffee scrub.

Part of their proceeds are dedicated towards building an animal sanctuary in the future.

The Fillerup Shop

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Fillerup has diverted over 7,000 pounds of plastic from the landfills, and counting. This mother-daughter south of San Francisco refillery is a place for the community to come together. Their “Refill Not Landfill” motto supports their mission to keep waste out of our landfills. Not only do they stock plastic-free products, but they also have resources on local composting in the area.

Fillerup is the place to go when you need to fill ‘er up—“er” being all of your bath, body, and cleaning products.

For those much-needed self-care days, try their lavender sage natural bath bombs, made with magnesium sulfate, sea salt, and real essential oils. The aromatherapy bombs are designed to soothe aching muscles and drained brains.

Refill Madness

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Traveling farther outside the Bay Area, Refill Madness is a zero waste store Sacramento can be proud of, with refills and plastic-free alternatives to everyday household products.

You can find locally-made household essentials for all areas of your home including your zero waste bathroom, laundry room, and kitchen. Whether you need refills on laundry soap, body soap, or dish soap, or accessories like bamboo cleaners, facial rounds, and hairbrushes, Refill Madness will impress.

They’ve implemented an outstanding take-back program for the community, provide recycling opportunities for hard-to-recycle items, and advocate for legislative change on local waste reduction policies.

Rainbow Grocery Cooperative

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Co-ops are always a stellar choice for bulk food buying, Bay Area or otherwise. With 800 bulk bins, Rainbow Grocery Cooperative is perhaps the most impressive zero waste grocery store San Francisco offers.

They have departments for bakery and deli items, alcohol, frozen foods, and bulk foods as well as bath and body products and housewares. Their bulk section features bins of sustainable coffees, granola, olives, nuts, flours, olive oils, chocolates, rice, and beans of all different colors—hence their name.

They run 100% off of renewable energy, provide customer incentives for reusable bags, and donate to local nonprofits that support social and environmental change.

North Coast Co-Op

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North Coast Co-Op gives major San Francisco supermarkets a run for their money. You’ll find this zero waste grocery store around San Francisco in multiple neighborhoods, each with over 500 bulk bins. prioritizing local, organic products whenever available. You can find bulk bins stuffed with coffee, tea, spices, pasta, grains, beans, candy, popcorn, flour, and more, each one fresh and replenished daily.

Each location actively works to reduce their environmental footprint through ethical sourcing practices, recycling and composting systems, and energy reduction methods.

North Coast Co-op donates hundreds of pounds of food each year to local organizations combating food waste and food insecurity. Each fall, part of their proceeds are donated to local nonprofits and school districts that focus on environmental education.

Other Avenues Co-op

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Other Avenues Co-op is a leading player in San Francisco zero waste initiatives, providing food and supplies for everyday sustainable living. Their buying guidelines emphasize organic, sustainable, vegetarian, and fair-trade products.

Their bulk bar offers over 700 products to choose from with grains, nuts, seeds, flours, chocolates, sustainable snacks, and more. Other Avenues is especially known for their renowned coffee section, which features beans sourced exclusively from the Bay Area and other neighboring areas. Customers will receive a five cent discount for every reusable container brought in.

The Co-op donates to various local and national nonprofits that fight for environmental protection, civil rights, immigrant’s rights, workers rights, and sexual reproductive freedom.

Alameda Natural Grocery Store

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Alameda Natural Grocery Store is an all-in-one natural health foods store that offers organic produce, natural supplements, and bulk grocery items.

Bees are all the buzz at Alameda, who put a literal spin on the “land of (sustainable) milk and honey”. In order to support honey bee conservation, the grocery store has installed several of their very own rooftop hives, increasing biodiversity and allowing customers to buy hyper-local honey right in the store.

Other goods you can find include locally grown-eggs, hormone free dairy products, and antibiotic-free meats.

This zero waste grocer runs fully on renewable resources, and their round-up program allows customers to donate to local nonprofits by rounding up to the nearest dollar during checkout. Each month, they match up to 100% of customer contributions to support organizations fighting for sustainability.

Canyon Market

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Canyon Market partners with producers that support regenerative farming methods and treat our waterways with care. Almost all products are organic and fair trade.

This San Francisco bulk store merges traditional grocery offerings with natural and package-free options and specialty lines. For example, their bakery department features local, seasonal goods from local and family bakers (or, should we say, bay-kers.).

Of course, we have to highlight their bulk bins, which stock over 100 pantry staples from dried grains and beans, to baking ingredients and specialty spices.

They’re dedicated to community giving by partnering with local schools and non-profit art organizations.