Experiences and Human Agency: Zero Waste Market Vancouver

Apr 25, 2016
2 min read

Zero Waste Market Vancouver was mentioned in my previous blog post but I deliberately didn’t speak about them because I want to dedicate this post to them. This will be Vancouver’s first zero waste market. They do not have a permanent location yet but have been hosting pop-ups at Patagonia on West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano. I attended the one on April 22nd. The concept is simple- goods are sold in bulk and we are encouraged to bring our own containers to fill up. It also encourages us to only purchase the amount that we will eat or use to avoid further waste. Their aim is to:

“educate and empower our community to make positive changes for their health and that of the planet. By buying in bulk with reusable containers, consumers create a demand for sustainable alternatives to the food industry’s status quo” (Zero Waste Market, 2016).

I don’t go to Kitsilano often so I was more attentive to the spaces and places around me (maybe this is why I’m a geographer?). It was raining that day but I didn’t bring an umbrella with me (Vancouverite problems) so I went to seek shelter when I got off the bus. Interestingly there is an organic grocery store (Greens' Organic and Natural Market)right next to the bus stop. What a great start to my day of research! A friendly cashier greeted me and off I went to explore the store. Its inventory was quite unique and it had a small community vibe. After I dried off a bit I headed to Patagonia for the pop-up.

I was a little nervous as I didn’t prepare formal questions to ask for my project and worried if I was going to fit in as I only found out about the concept of zero waste a few days prior. Co-founder Brianne Miller, intern Alison Carr, and the volunteers were all very welcoming and loved to explain their enterprise. Currently, if you want to go to a grocery store and use your own container for bulked goods, the process is quite tedious. You would have to go to customer service to get your container weighed then do a little bit of math at the checkout. This new market aims to provide an easier and more enjoyable experience. Challenges that they’ve encountered so far is not with the city which I assumed, but with health officials. Brianne and Alison are hoping to establish a permanent location for the market by the end of the year.