It’s a New Era in Waste Management with Toronto’s first Zero Waste Market
Toronto now has its first zero-waste market on Dundas Street West. Seeking to reduce waste in Toronto, the zero waste market known as ‘Unboxed Market’ is looking to do its part by bringing products down to zero waste standard.
Unboxed Market is owned by Michelle Genttner and Luis Martin, and occupies the space of a former Portuguese grocery store on Dundas. Customers interested in shopping here are encouraged to bring their own storage containers. As a sort of general store, you’ll find everything here from eggs to shampoo. Bringing your own containers, a customer can buy the preferred quantities or volume they desire and pay accordingly.
If you’re buying produce, bring your own cloth bags. If you’re buying liquids, bring a jar. There’s no rules on the containers allowed so you can fill up just about anything. Furthermore, there’s no limitation on how little or how much you need to purchase which means if you need a cup of flour, you can buy an actual cup of flour and nothing more. It’s sort of like a bulk barn of sorts for everything you might need in the kitchen. As opposed to having to pay for packaging and additional quantity which you may or may not use, you can minimize costs and consumption all the while limiting your waste output.
Any items purchased are weighed at the door. Any customer arriving at Unboxed Market not bringing their own containers or bags, they can buy biodegradable or reusable options available in the market’s rental program. For example, on jars, you can put down a deposit on a jar to transport the item you need. Then, when you bring it back, you get your deposit returned. Alternatively, if you keep the jar, you’ve already paid for it so no harm, no foul.
The owners of Unboxed Market grew up in small towns with a focus on agriculture and farm-to-table living. Although Toronto couldn’t be further away from that type of lifestyle than it already is, Unboxed Market’s commitment to zero waste has already won a lot of attention from environmentally-conscious shoppers in the surrounding neighborhoods.
What once was merely lifestyle choices a minority adopted, zero waste is becoming an undeniable movement. Packaging at grocery stores encourage customers to consume and to buy more than what they probably need. This sort of philosophy increases food waste and packaging needs. Alternatively, Toronto’s Unboxed Market simplifies things and shifts shopping back to how it used to be pre-corporate grocery chains.
It’s the hope of Unboxed Market to pave the way and inspire more grocery stores and small businesses like this across the city and province. In the meantime, city government continues to debate how to reduce single-use products. Initiatives like this show us zero waste is possible, whether you’re living in a rural Ontario town or deep in the heart of Canada’s biggest city. As Unboxed Market opens up this month, we wish them continued success long into the future!
If you’re in need of waste management, recycling, or eco-friendly waste reduction services, we can help. Speak with a representative at Core Mini Bins to get yourself set up with a waste management plan today. Minimize your waste output and consider the different methods we may be able to implement to bring your commercial business closer to zero waste.
