Tired of flimsy plastic bags of beans, rice & quinoa in your cupboard? How can you make your grocery trip even greener? Buy in bulk!

Those “bulk” bins in Whole Foods, Essene, Wegmans & more have plastic bags for you to fill up with… Instead, bring your own glass, aluminum or steel container. Simply go to the Customer Service desk and ask them to weigh your empty container. They can then subtract the weight when they weigh your bulk goods at checkout.

Readers, what do you buy in bulk? Any good secret finds in Philadelphia we should know about?

Photo: Whole Foods

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Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher