Whether you’re looking at the exterior of the building or shopping inside the store, there’s nothing ordinary about the grocery store at 33rd and Chinden. If you’ve been curious about what it looks like inside, you’re running out of time to check it out.
What Makes Roots Zero Waste Market Different
We’re talking about Roots Zero Waste Market, a unique concept that took on the challenge of fixing up an old hookah bar which was badly damaged by a three-alarm fire in 2015. Lea Rainey and Zach Yunker opened the grocery store in September 2019. What sets it apart from Albertsons, WinCo and even Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, is the fact that the products don’t come packaged in cardboard or plastic containers.
How the Store Helped Reduce Idaho’s Plastic Waste
Instead they come packaged in paper or glass. The whole goal of the store is to provide household staples without the unnecessary waste that comes with the products. When the store opened, Rainey told the Idaho Statesman that just 25 people shopping in the store each day would reduce the amount of plastic heading to the Ada County landfill by 55 tons.
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At the time, there were only four other zero-waste refill stores like it in the country. According to a recent Facebook post from Roots, there are now 1,300.
Unfortunately, that Facebook post wasn’t just about how far the zero waste movement has come over the span of the last six years. It was meant to serve as an announcement that the locally-owned grocer is in their final days of business. They’ll be closing permanently on December 16, 2025.
What Shoppers Can Expect Before the Final Day
In true Roots fashion, they don’t want anything to go to waste. They’ll continue stocking the shelves with fresh produce and deli foods until the last day and encourage shoppers to also stock up on dried goods, household goods and drinks…