Currently in the City of Chicago consumers are unable to take their own reusable containers to fill with bulk items (i.e. rice, beans, grains) from grocery stores. According to the City of Chicago’s Retailers Rules and Regulations, Section VI, Rule 36, “No ‘personal’ containers are to be filled with Bulk Foods.” 

This is highly unsustainable and doesn’t give consumers the opportunity to decrease their waste. If consumers could bring their own containers (i.e. cloth bags, mason jars) we would have the opportunity to lower our waste. With the rise of plastic-free, zero waste, and low impact lifestyles on the rise, Chicago must modernize this out-of-date law.