7 St Louis Zero Waste Stores To End Planetary Missouri

St Louis zero waste stores don’t get much more eco-sleek than Dharma + Dwell, a local sustainable lifestyle and refill shop providing a wealth of everyday essentials for a more conscious existence.

Started by Jordan Blackhurst after she became disillusioned by the amount of plastic packaging in her bathroom and a deep internet dive into conscious consumerism, Webster Groves shop makes low-impact shopping convenient and accessible.

The selection of zero waste and refill products in the elegantly designed, airy space in this St Louis refill store is truly impressive, whether it’s vegan personal care items, eco-friendly cleaning products, or a shampoo and soap refill. Some standouts include zero waste makeup from Elate and Minori, brightly patterned Swedish reusable dishcloths, a wealth of zero waste shampoo bars, and an extensive refill shop to bring your own clean containers, fill up, and pay by weight.

We also love their zero waste kids’ section, which has cute items like sea salt baby body bars, Huppy kids’ toothpaste tablets, sunscreen, and hypoallergenic unscented bubble bath made for the most delicate skin and safe for breastfeeding mamas as well.

For the zero waste fashionistas out there, they also offer a selection of secondhand items from Mayfair Vintage.

As the very first zero waste store in St Louis, The Refill Effect started with the mission of providing “the products you want without the packaging you don’t”. You can either visit their storefront and refill IRL, or you can order online and schedule a pickup or delivery. The best part is, deliveries are free for any order over $40.

This one-stop zero waste shop has it all, from liquid Castille soap and deodorant paste, plus home-cleaning products and other crucial reusable supplies like sustainable toothbrushes, cloth bags, wool dryer balls, and bamboo-sisal dish scrubbies.

They also carry a variety of adorable gift sets, to help encourage the ones you love to join the zero waste movement, with items like sustainable lifestyle starter bundles with everything that’s normally plastic instead made of sustainable bamboo, wood, and natural materials. They’ll even do the legwork for you, by gathering gift bundles based on your price range and gift recipient.

Local Harvest Grocery provides just that, with most of their stock sourced directly from farmers and producers within 150 miles of St. Louis. Since 2007, this large brick St Louis bulk food store has been a bastion of all things organic, low waste, and locally produced.

We love that they also include an “inglorious” section to help reduce food waste.

They also help make a difference to the way we consume by cutting down on food miles, supporting farmers who aren’t using hormones, antibiotics, chemicals, or GMOs, providing package-free options to reduce plastic dependence, diverting waste via cleaning and reusing bulk containers, and always encouraging reusable products over single-use.

Be sure to bring your clean refillables and load up on bulk local legumes and grains, olive oil, kombucha on tap, and refillable beauty and cleaning products.

Forgot a container? No sweat; they have an entire section of reusable mason jars and containers to select from.

Determined mother Jean Scholtes first started KIND Apothecary after developing a bar of oatmeal soap for her baby son’s eczema problems. Frustrated by the amount of chemicals, hormone disruptors, and irritants in most common skincare products, she realized her mission: a kinder way. As a former Creative Director who designed, packaged, and built brands for other people. Jean’s own brand has KIND-ly been nothing short of a success.

KIND Apothecary has a successful Refill and Package Reduction Program, offering more and more refillable and package-free products. In addition to refillable beauty products, lotions, cremes, butters, liquid soaps, bath salts, sprays, and scrubs by-the-ounce, KIND also sells package-free “naked” products—everything from bath bombs to solid sugar scrubs.

Anything else is packaged in glass, compostable cello bags, or biodegradable paper.

All ingredients are guaranteed biodegradable, from sustainable sources, Fair Trade, and any palm oil used is RSPO-certified.

St Louis refill stores don’t get more cute and conceptually thoughtful than the Social Goods Marketplace, where everything sold is centered around sustainability, self-care, and social justice. Founder Morgan Noll donates 10% of all profits to various local organizations that align with the marketplace’s values.

WIth its pastel hues, plentiful greenery, and simple wooden decor, this South Grand-area shop is truly a heart-warming and community-building hub, plus they offer a series of regular events like book fairs, yarn swaps, and self-care workshops alongside their amazing variety of sustainable gifts and refill products.

Everything offered here is sustainably sourced. Many items, such as the popular Butter Love body butter and Forai jewelry, are handcrafted locally in St. Louis. You’ll find everything from carefully curated skincare and bath products to Fair Trade coffee produced by female farmers in Nicaragua, chocolate made by a Black-owned business, home decor, and gifts.

When it comes to their Refill Station Menu, highlights include their Pure Vibes body wash, Rustic Strength Castille soap, and Ginger Snapped shower steamers. Simply bring your own bottle (or purchase one there), ask them to fill it up for you, pay by the ounce, then bring your bottle back (clean) for a refill.

Not so much a bulk store St Louis has to offer, but rather a beloved pop-up zero waste outpost, the Sudsy Soapery was founded after Kaycie convinced her husband Jonathan that homemade soap would be far superior than the commercial soap they were using at the time. Their very first batch made soap history and the couple never looked back.

Everything is made in small batches and sold around local St Louis farmers markets or online at their website and a number of other spots. They’re regularly posted up at the city’s famed Soulard Farmers Market, so be sure to stop by.

Their range includes numerous package-free personal-care products, but it’s their shampoo bars that are truly legendary—and often sold out. We suggest the Rose Hair Shampoo Bar with Bulgarian rose water, honey, panthenol, and jojoba if you’re in need of extreme moisture and shine. Or if you’re in need of a serious volume boost, try the Protein Shampoo Bar with peppermint, menthol, goat milk, and honey.

Their zero waste men’s products are likewise truly impressive. Think: lavender peppermint pre-shave oil, natural hair pomade, triple butter shave soap, and men’s facial toner.

As far as bulk grocery stores in St Louis go, Dierbergs is bar-none the best when it comes to selection. With literally dozens of locations around the St. Louis Metropolitan Area, they have almost every neighborhood covered like a bulk chocolate almond. Since 1854—yes, that long—Dierbergs has served the local community, and the Dierberg family is still at the helm.

At most locations, you’ll find a bakery, florist, delicatessen, pre-prepared foods, meat, produce, seafood, organic foods, frozen foods, general grocery, pharmacy, snacks, a Bob’s Barn for booze, and… you guessed it, a sizable bulk foods section. It’s all about your standard dry bulk fare at Dierbergs, like grains, flours, pastas, beans, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, confectionery, snacks, and trail mixes galore. Most locations also feature an excellent selection of bulk coffee beans.

Bring your own container or mason jar, since this store isn’t plastic-free. Everything is weighed and priced by the pound.