13 Bulk & Zero Waste Stores in NYC Taking A Bite Out Of The Big Apple’s Waste
We all know New York City as the bustling metropolitan of towering skyscrapers, deep-dish pizza, and yellow cabs—but did you know that beneath the neon lights is a city literally built upon its own garbage?
And it’s only getting worse. Over 420,000 tons of plastic waste is produced every year in New York City.
A city known for its luxurious and gluttonous dining experiences (and almost 9 million people), this statistic isn’t too surprising.
With the increased awareness of the need for sustainability, there is a growing number of NYC zero waste stores and thrift stores looking to take a bite out of the Big Apple’s equally big waste problem.
These zero waste stores in NYC can help you combat plastic pollution while also saving you money.
The Best Zero Waste & Bulk Stores In NYC
Refill & Zero Waste NYC Stores
Zero Waste Shops NYC
1. LA NATURE
LA Nature is a minimalist neighborhood zero waste shop that specializes in household essentials. Run out of a quaint apartment in Brooklyn, this couple-owned refillery aims to make zero waste living accessible to all.
The products sold here are sourced from small, independent businesses. LA Nature looks for the least wasteful and most affordable products on the market.
They constantly search for opportunities to give back to the community by getting involved in local projects.
What You Can Find
All of your household needs can be found here. Some popular items include bamboo scrubbers, refillable cleaning powders, and various compostable products like sponges and recycled trash bags.
There are also plenty of self-care products such as skin cream, lip balm, clay masks, and zero waste toothpaste.
Location: Park Slope
2. Precycle
If you’re a New Yorker wondering, “How can you buy food in bulk without plastic in NYC?”, Precycle can help.
The owner of the shop was raised in Latvia during the era of the Soviet Union. After seeing first hand how difficult access to resources can be, she created Precycle.
One of the best zero waste food stores NYC offers, Precycle aims to empower customers to reduce their environmental impact by supplying products that are independently sourced from local farms and sustainable food systems.
What You Can Find
We’ll start with what you can’t find: plastic. Products sold here are 100% plastic-free.
You’ll find rows of organic fruits, local eggs, and bulk pantry staples. The bulk bar also stocks powdered laundry detergents, dishwashing liquid, and Castile soap.
If you need a hand carrying all of your new goodies, they sell reusable tote bags worthy enough to be shown off at the Fashion District.
Location: Buschwick
3. Maison Jar NYC
Maison Jar NYC combats the climate crisis by partnering with responsible vendors to provide low waste products to the community.
Their mission is to be as sustainable, accessible, and transparent as possible—which is why you can access a full product and supplier list on their website.
Recognizing the importance of education in conservation, this place provides sustainability workshops for the community and is one of the best zero waste stores in Brooklyn.
What You Can Find
This one-stop shop prioritizes products that have certified labels, and will always choose organic whenever possible.
You can find baking ingredients, legumes, teas, breads, produce, nuts, seeds, organic snacks and a lot more on the shelves.
Location: Greenpoint
4. Earth & Me Co.
This woman-owned shop aims to cut the bridge between sustainability and affordability. Earth & Me is a brick-and-mortar store that offers zero waste home goods and self-care products.
Earth & Me has partnered with UP-STAND, a woman and minority owned business dedicated to improving accessibility. Not only does the owner list current accessibility features from the shop on her website, but she also invites customers to call ahead for special accommodation requests.
What You Can Find
Sustainable candles, organic bath bombs, and other self-care goods are easy to find. Some unique items in stock include wooden potato peelers, collapsible cups, and hair texturizer.
This NYC packaging free store is a haven for zero waste dog owners, too. They stock pet soap bars, upcycled leashes, and eco-friendly waste pouches.
Your next walk in Central Park just got a lot more sustainable.
Location: Astoria
5. A Sustainable Village
The mission of A Sustainable Village is to support the community in small, sustainable changes.
They feature a blog post dedicated to the local composting schedule, highlighting a list of acceptable scraps, and drop-off and curbside pickup information.
A Sustainable Village highlights the importance of progress over perfection, recognizing that small steps are still steps.
What You Can Find
This is the place to be for all your aromatic needs, like soy candles, handcrafted soap bars, lavender cleaning spray, and more.
As one of several refill stores NYC boasts, bring your own jars to stock up on liquid hand sanitizer, zero waste hand soap, and dish soap.
There are also hand-curated gift boxes perfect for a variety of occasions. Make the pet-lover or self-care fanatic in your life happy with one of these zero waste kits.
Location: East Village
6. Package Free
True to their name, Package Free provides sustainable, plastic-free alternatives for everyday occasions.
Products are selected based on ingredients, packaging, and shipping methods.
All of their products can be reused, refilled, recycled, or composted.
Since launching, the shop has diverted over four billion plastic products from landfills.
If you need more convincing that they’re one of the best zero waste stores in NYC, they were founded by Lauren Singer, one of the original bloggers who brought zero waste living into the public eye.
What You Can Find
You might be familiar with their zero waste online store, but the Package Free store NYC location has no less of an impressive range.
They’re stocked with reputable beauty and personal care products, as well as household items, every day reusable items, and select clothing.
The shop houses products from their own in-house brand that can be found exclusively at their store. They make zero waste shampoo and conditioner bars, reusable food containers, cleaning accessories, and more.
Location: NOHO
7. Eco Bronx LLC
Of all the waste free stores NYC has, this one is perhaps the most unique. Doubling as both a retail space and a classroom, Eco Bronx provides an eco-space for Bronx residents to educate themselves on sustainability.
The retail space supplies local sustainable products, while the educational space hosts workshops on sustainability topics.
Eco Bronx dedicates part of its business profits back into the local community. They support community-focused sustainability projects and services reducing local landfill waste.
What You Can Find
You can find refills on laundry pods, zero waste laundry detergent, dishwasher powder, dish detergent, and bubble bath soap as well as products for your kitchen, household, pets, and kids.
For example, their eco-friendly toys include handmade recycled all-natural crayons and play dough.
Location: Pop-Ups (No static location)
8. Common Good & Company
Common Good refill stations can be found all across the United States, but their presence in New York alone is impressive. Anywhere you find yourself in the city, you can shop this zero waste store, Greenwich Village all the way to Cypress Hills.
This woman-owned business stocks plant-based products suitable for every room in the house. Their zero waste cleaning products are paraben and sulfate free and are not tested on animals.
Common Good offers services both in-person and online. For the latter, shipping boxes are made from recycled content and printed with natural ink.
What You Can Find
Perhaps the most unique item sold here are the closed-loop refill boxes. With these boxes, you can create your own refillery at home using their all-purpose cleaner, zero waste dish soap, hand soap, laundry detergent, glass cleaner, and more.
Besides the refill boxes, you can get plenty of other pay-by-ounce refillable products for your hands, body, and home.
Location: Multiple
9. Fountain House + Body
Founded by the mental health nonprofit Fountain House, this plastic-free and bulk shop joins multiple Soho based thrift stores upping the collective eco-shopping efforts of Manhatten locals.
Fountain House + Body is not only a retail space for low waste living goods, but a rehabilitation one for those in need of employment.
Any profits are reinvested back into their employment mission to “provide meaningful paid work opportunities to people with serious mental illness”.
What You Can Find
As the name suggests, this NYC waste free shop offers “durable, reusable, and beautiful” products for the house and body.
They offer both a select line of natural, handmade in-house eco-friendly cleaning products and personal care bars, as well as a variety of goods sourced from other sustainable brands.
Think: candles, brushes, air plants (to ensure that city air pollution doesn’t carry over into your apartment), and so much more.
Location: SOHO
Bulk Grocery Stores NYC
10. 4th Street Food Co-op
While NYC bulk food stores are numerous, this one will make you feel a little bit better about that weekly grocery bill.
This member-run cooperative grocer provides organic foods and household products to the local community. 4th Street Food Co-Op provides food for the people, not for the profit.
This Co-op is both environmentally friendly and community oriented, being 100% Wind Powered and donating resources to local community organizations that align with their ethics.
What You Can Find
In the bulk dry goods section, you can bring your own jars and stock up on beans, cereals, lentils, grains, pasta, dried fruits, flours, nuts, seeds, spices, and coffee.
In the produce department, you can find local organic fruits and vegetables as well as pasteurized eggs.
If you’re lucky, you can find specialty treats like organic fruit pies or vegan coconut-oil popcorn.
Location: Bowery
11. The Park Slope Food Co-op
The Park Slope Food Co-op is a member owned and operated food store where only members can shop.
They support a diverse and inclusive community, catering to members with different cultures and economic capabilities.
The store follows an environmental policy that maximizes the amount of products grown organically, locally, and cruelty-free. An Environmental Committee reviews products sold by the co-op to ensure that they come from sustainable food brands.
What You Can Find
Both a health food store and bulk food store in NYC, they stock a large selection of locally grown produce, meats, cheese, bulk items, and more.
The produce aisle features around 225 items of fresh produce. During the growing season, the majority of products are sourced within a 200-mile range. In the name of transparency, each item is identified with a geographical location tag.
Location: Park Slope
12. Oriental Pastry and Grocery
Oriental Pastry and Grocery is a family-owned grocer that stocks authentic Middle-Eastern pastries and sweets.
While not solely dedicated to the zero waste movement, this place has bulk bins full of flavorful seasonings and snacks.
What You Can Find
They have a variety of nuts in bulk, such as toasted corn nuts, natural pecans, sliced almonds, and cashews. You can find dates, herbs, and teas in bulk, too.
The real showstopper here is the pickled food bar. Bring in your own plastic free food container and stock up on various pickled products such as onions, lemons, peppers, and more.
Location: Cobble Hill
13. Manhattan Health Food Store
When it comes to zero waste stores, Manhattan certainly isn’t lacking, but if you enjoy nourishing your body with only the best, move this one to the top of the list.
Manhattan Health Food Store has three locations throughout Manhattan providing the local community with affordable organic food, vitamins, and supplements.
Each location has an organic deli and juice bar that serves fresh food daily.
What You Can Find
They carry an extensive inventory of natural supplements and medicines from herbal, homeopathic, and ayurvedic medical practices. You can find daily vitamins and zero waste supplements for anything from weight loss to athletic performance.
In addition to supplements, fresh, packaged, refrigerated, and frozen foods can also be found here, though not all options are zero waste.
Location: Multiple
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Final Thoughts On Zero Waste Bulk Stores NYC
If you’ve been wondering, “How can I shop waste free in NYC?”, that’s good, because NYC’s waste problem is becoming everyone’s waste problem.
But at least now you know the zero waste stores in NYC are worth the subway ride.
However, if braving bumper-to-bumper New York City traffic, hot metro rides, and crazy taxi cabs every time you run out of soap isn’t your cup of zero waste tea, we understand.
Thankfully, you can turn to online shopping.
Bulk stores online—including some by the shops on this list—are the perfect solution for days when you don’t feel like navigating the busy city.
As always, we encourage you to share these places with your friends and family so all you New Yorkers can do your part to reduce the 3 million tons of waste NYC generates each year.
Which NYC bulk store are you planning to BYO to first? Are there any others that deserve to be on the list?
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4th street coop actually also sells cleaning products (laundry powder and soap, dish tablets and soap, all purpose cleaners…) and cosmetics (body wash, shampoo, conditioner, shea butter, tooth paste and tooth powder, breath freshener, etc.) as well as sanitary products (toilet paper, pads, cups, etc.). They also have environmentally friendly sponge replacements and cutlery pouches. It’s not just a food store. But they’re food is great, indeed! A lot of bulk options for legumes, grain, flour, dried fruits, cereals etc. They also have maple syrup and all sorts of oils sold bulk, by the weight. Discounts apply to students and senior citizens (without the need to purchase a membership), and bigger discounts apply to dues-paying members. A hidden gem in Manhattan.
Thanks so much Carole!