A low-waster scouts key sources for bulk goods to shop without plastic.

Plastic’s gotta go. It never breaks down; it leaches toxins into food; it’s becoming less recyclable. In Marie Kondo terms, it sparks no joy. For the past year, I’ve been trying to cut the plastic packaging in my life. That means finding places where I can fill my empty bags, bottles and containers with bulk goods. Here are the highlights of my local refill circuit.

PRODUCE: Stick with farmers markets. A sack of reusable bags will get you stocked up with locally grown fruits and veggies – plus bread, flowers and even milk in returnable glass bottles.

PANTRY STAPLES: At Whole Foods in Monterey, you’ll find a wall of bulk bins with chocolate, candy, nuts, dried fruit, a variety of granolas, beans, seeds, flours, rices and other grains. Highlight: the nut butter grinders. Lowlight: the dwindling product diversity, which once also included olive oil, vinegar, cane sugar and sea salt. Nob Hill in Salinas and Smart & Final in Seaside both have a robust bulk section on par with Whole Foods – similar selection, not quite as many organics, lower price points. The Del Rey Oaks Safeway has a “build your own trail mix” island featuring seeds, nuts and dried fruit. Carmel’s Safeway has those, too, plus a broader selection including rice, flour and even chia seeds, if you’re feeling extra.

SALSA AND CHEESE: Mi Tierra Supermercado in Seaside offers an impressive selection of bulk sour creams, cheeses and salsas. My family can’t get enough of the queso Oaxaca – lunch-box-ready string cheese, plastic-free. Reducing packaging here may involve some conversation, preferably in Spanish. I bring a reused stack of cylindrical plastic containers and add a quick “no bolsa, por favor” to prevent each container from being bagged in plastic.

CLEANING AND HYGIENE: Bulk liquid and laundry soap, hair products and household cleaning supplies are a tougher market around here. Ma’s Green Living in Monterey once filled that niche, but folded a few years back. More recently, The Source Zero popped up in Carmel, but owner Ashley Merz says business wasn’t strong enough to make it stick in that location. Now she’s thinking about bringing her refill shop to local farmers markets; follow @thesourcezero on Instagram for updates.

Finally: a reminder that zero-wasting is about progress, not purity. We live in a world designed for disposability, and I’m not going to stress too hard about the plastic that finds its way into my home despite my best efforts. Transformative change has to happen at higher levels. We can let businesses know (nicely!) that avoiding plastic is a factor in our purchasing decisions. We can support local policies, like Monterey’s and Carmel’s, which require sustainable food packaging.

So perk up and speak up. Meet local farmers and business owners. Reuse some empty containers and BYO revolution.

KERA ABRAHAM PANNI is a member of the Seaside Environmental Committee. Post your best bulk shopping finds and tag #montereybulkfoods @plasticfreeprogress.