9 Vancouver Zero Waste Stores to Keep Beautiful British Columbia…Well, Beautiful
North of the border, eh, and Googling “zero waste store near me”?
Vancouver has long thrived as an urban hub for wellness, yoga, and environmentalism thanks to its gorgeous mountains, endless beaches and bike paths, and general Earth-loving vibes.
That’s exactly what makes zero waste stores in Vancouver, Canada both easy to come by and widely embraced by its climate-concerned communities.
Whether you’re gearing up to hike the Grouse Grind, jetting off to climb the Chief in Squamish, or cycling around Stanley Park, these Vancouver bulk stores have got all your delicious packaging-free needs covered like an organic Maple covered almond coated to perfection.
From funky little market booths to giant bulk grocers, let’s check out YVR’s wide range of zero waste options for the most eco-friendly citywide consumption.
The Best Zero Waste Stores Vancouver, Canada
1. Refill Road
About Refill Road
Davie St’s very own refillery has landed, right in the heart of the lively Village.
Refill Road is a stylish and passionate zero waste outpost inspiring the whole downtown community to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle, making it one of the best zero waste stores Vancouver.
WIth the intent to help Vacouverites easily obtain good, healthy, clever, simple items that don’t cost a fortune and tread the most lightly on our environment, founder Sandra has created an astoundingly wide range of refill options and zero waste items.
Their hip downtown space includes all things cruelty-free, biodegradable, and yep, refillable.
What You Can Find
Alongside your usual refillable goods like laundry soap, dish detergent, shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, and household cleaners, this shop also offers more bespoke items like cold-process soap and workshops on how to make your own.
Using traditional, artisanal methods of vegetable and essential oils, clays, herbs, and food colorants to make soap, founder Sandra teaches guests how to create natural soap.
We also love their selection of “conscious gifts,” which includes items for sale like a cute laundry gift set with wool dryer balls included, or one of our favorite quality natural toothpaste brands, Davids.
Location: Davie Village
2. The Soap Dispensary & Kitchen Staples
About The Soap Dispensary & Kitchen Staples
Thanks to The Soap Dispensary—the OG zero waste grocery store Vancouver—you can skip the packaging trash to find almost 800 bulk products, premium soaps, DIY ingredients, fine food, and locally-made organic staples.
Simply bring your empty containers into their popular, airy Main St. shop and refill to reduce packaging waste.
They also carry quality lifestyle goods that support low-impact living.
Added later, Kitchen Staples is a packaging-free specialty grocery store that emphasizes organic and locally made ingredients at affordable prices.
We also like that they prioritize ethical sourcing, with over 65% of their soaps and 75% of their grocery items coming from local, responsible sources.
What You Can Find
Their inventory is impressive, with refillable body care, cleaning products, DIY ingredients, pantry goodies, fridge and freezer food items, kitchen tools, and a wide variety of zero waste, plastic free, and organic kitchen and home items.
If you’re new to the zero waste game, they also have a solid selection of reusable storage to fill and refill again and again, with owner Linh and her friendly staff there to assist.
Some unique items include their portable fermenter kit, DIY bath bomb kits, quality essential oils, and over twenty refillable and package-free shampoos and conditioners.
We especially love their local BC-based Birch Babe shampoo bars in Spearmint Rosemary or Key Lime.
Location: South Main
3. The Source Bulk Foods
About The Source Bulk Foods
From field to plate, The Source Bulk Foods promotes the zero waste “shopping revolution”.
Though part of a larger global franchise, these bulk food stores in Vancouver are owned and run by a local family who are genuinely passionate about reducing food waste, quality food, and healthy options for their families.
Both locations include a team of qualified naturopaths, nutritionists, dieticians and passionate cooks, ready to impart their wisdom about leading a more nourished life.
The staff here is always friendly and happy to help, and they’ll usually let you sample before buying.
You can bring your own containers and weigh them, or use the paper bags provided if you forget.
What You Can Find
At both their Vancouver refill stores, there’s a huge variety of pantry staples, like different types of flour, dry fruits and nuts, spices, and novelty snacks like seasoned nuts, granola, candies, even energy balls.
You can also get tap kombucha, soap, oils and vinegars. They clearly label everything with the brand, ingredients, and any nutritional information.
One review noted that a number of their spices like Nutmeg were actually more affordable than the local big box No Frills grocery store, putting an end to the conception that sustainability always costs more.
Location: Kitsilano | North Vancouver
4. Bulk Barn
About Bulk Barn
Since 1982, Bulk Barn has grown from one store to over 275 across Canada, with more locations opening every year as a testament to how much Canucks love this iconic (and massive) bulk store chain.
This bulk grocery store in Vancouver also offers various in-store promotions and sales regularly, making them one of the most affordable shops.
It’s 15% off on Sundays if you bring your own containers, and on Wednesdays for seniors.
What You Can Find
Snacks, nuts, baking supplies, dried fruit, tea, chocolate, candy, chips, crackers, pet treats, bird seeds, supplements, nut butters, honey, spices, herbs…
The question is more like what DOESN’T Bulk Barn sell?
They do also offer a number of very un-zero waste items like party supplies and dollar store type goodies.
That said, Bulk Barn has all the needs for your zero waste cooking and baking covered. For example, their North Van location carries over fifty types of spices including items you won’t find at your local grocery store.
Baking supplies are extensive too, including specialty fondant, baking pans, baking containers, and specialty cookie cutters, which is exciting to both the professional or new baker.
Location: North Vancouver | New Westminster | Richmond
5. Backspace
About Backspace
Says Backspace, “like you, we’re frustrated and we’re taking action!”
Their approach?
A refillery van making it convenient and affordable for Van-locals to live more sustainably.
Backspace’s young and ambitious team of three is making it easier to adopt sustainable habits without drastic sacrifices or a complete overhaul of your lifestyle.
They feature a deposit jar program, tons of refillable items, and a mobile van service for pop-ups—plus zero emission deliveries with the use of their electric car.
Bring the convenience of the low waste refill experience to your front door anywhere in Vancouver with a same day delivery thanks to the coolest little zero waste store Vancouver offers. Just make sure to get your order in daily before 1pm.
What You Can Find
They offer low waste essentials and weekly deals on items like toothpaste tablets, laundry detergent strips, body wash, hand soap and more.
All the brands they partner with are based in Canada, using natural ingredients and sustainable materials, and prioritizing low-waste packaging to help Backspace achieve their mission.
Think: cotton rounds or veggie brushes from Plantish Future, reusable period pads from Aisle, and scrumptious natural hair care from Good Juju.
You can also find all products online.
Location: See Delivery Areas
6. Famous Foods
About Famous Foods
For more than thirty years, Kingsway’s own Famous Foods has served its community as an independent Vancouver bulk food store with healthy and natural foods.
They were also one of the very first natural foods stores in Vancouver to pioneer the concept of bulk food buying.
Today with over 1000 bulk items available, you can find everything you need, whether you’re looking for ingredients for cooking and baking or just buying some healthy, nutritious snacks for the whole family.
As one local reviewer put it, “The best grocery store in Vancouver! Just feels like I am not lining the pockets of another Billionaire grocery store owner. Excellent bulk products with a focus throughout the store of organic and natural.”
What You Can Find
A truly incredible selection of organic, natural foods and products, great bulk products, and very reasonable prices are found at Famous Foods.
Some of their most popular bulk foods include dried beans, grains, trail mixes, herbs and spices, baking ingredients, candied fruit for holiday baking and all kinds of unique, hard-to-find items like rare grains, cheese powders, soup bases, and delicious gravy mixes.
They also offer organic and conventional foods in bulk, for example, their bulk olive oil goes for less than $10 for a reusable jar.
Location: Kensington-Cedar Cottage
7. Greens Market
About Greens Market
Founded in 2009 by two former UBC graduates, Greens set out to create a neighborhood destination market for Vancouverites to bike or walk to that makes a positive impact on the environment and our human health.
Deeply caring about the Earth and harmful and toxic food practices, Greens are committed to the health of their communities, and hope to guide and empower all of us to lead healthier, more vibrant lives.
Their Kitsilano shop lines busy West Broadway, making it easily accessible if you’re on mainland Vancouver and wondering about a “zero waste grocery store near me”.
They also offer a point rewards program that actually gives back, making Greens a great smally grocer that truly cares.
What You Can Find
At this bulk store, Vancouver shoppers will find all their grocery needs, thanks to their impressive pantry selection of local, natural, and organic bulk products that all meet the highest quality standards.
Organic nuts, seeds, grains, pastas, rice, beans, and more are offered in their bulk department, which is kept fresh, clean, and easy to use.
We love that you’re guaranteed absolutely no GMOs, and no artificial preservatives or ingredients here.
Location: Kitsilano
8. The Grainry
About The Grainry
Granville Island is going zero waste, thanks to The Grainry’s hidden gem of an emporium located in the picturesque Granville Island Public Market.
This cute little family run shop manages to pack in over 700 items, making it the place to be for all your beautiful B.C. cooking, baking, and snacking needs.
With rice, beans, and pastas of all kinds, endlessly unique and quality ingredients for all your cooking and baking needs, and tasty snacks, this is a one stop shop with a very friendly staff glad to recommend the perfect ingredients for your various culinary creations.
What You Can Find
One of the top bulk stores Vancouver offers, The Grainry features a large variety of common, rare and specialty goods in terms of spices and herbs, flours, beans, salts, rice, grains, sugar, dried fruits, nuts, baking chocolate, gluten free dried pastas, and even dehydrated camping foods.
Some of our snacking favorites they carry are delicious dried mango, strawberry yogurt covered pretzels, and cajun spiced almonds.
In terms of rare spices, come here for all your zaatar, juniper berry, chestnut flour, mixed peppercorn, sumac spice, and Sri Lankan cassia cinnamon needs!
Location: Granville Island Public Market
9. Net Zero Co
About Net Zero Co
Doubling as an online hub and popular Vancity advocate of the zero waste movement, Net Zero Co is a local zero waste online store offering a slew of low-to-no waste goodies that ship worldwide.
In their own words, “we provide earth friendly products for your everyday life as we work towards a world thriving Net Zero.”
While not among physical Vancouver zero waste stores, they recently expanded by partnering up with Basic Goods Trading Company and Tru Earth to form a local trifecta of women-run sustainability brands under the Net Zero Co label.
It’s their shared passion to overcome the most pervasive material on Earth—plastic—which unites the trio to help everyone do something about it.
Not only does everything come with a 30-day guarantee, but they also plant a tree with every purchase to offset the already minimal carbon footprint of shipping orders locally.
What You Can Find
Think classic ZW must-haves like: bamboo cotton rounds, laundry detergent strips, reusable beeswax wraps, reusable food containers, wool dryer balls, and even zero waste toilet paper for the adventurous.
Then they also offer trickier items to find, for example konjac exfoliating face sponges. Made from compostable konjac root, a porous veggie root found in Asia, it magically whisks away dead skin cells, makeup, and impurities. Added infusions of aloe and bamboo charcoal also make it extra soothing and hydrating.
Location: Online Only
Did you know we Have a Newsletter?
We cover the latest in sustainable living, fashion, zero waste, beauty, travel, finance and more…
Final Thoughts on Zero Waste & Bulk Grocery Stores Vancouver
British Columbia takes the lead in Canadian environmentalism by banning plastic bags and straws, offering commercial composting, and encouraging a healthy outdoor lifestyle.
Fortunately, Vancouver already ranks as one of the top five most sustainable cities on Earth, so let’s keep the green momentum going by supporting their local refilleries.
Our regard for zero waste stores in Vancouver is as high as those Rocky Mountain altitudes thanks to their quality package-free and refillable offerings.
But if you don’t have the chance to visit these shops in person (we get it, citylife is a busy life,) these bulk stores online might be right for you—though note not all ship to Canada.
As always, we encourage you to please pass this article along to your fellow aspiring zero waste friends, families, and neighbors to keep Vancouver vibrant as a thriving West Coast eco-hub.
Pin these:
