Buy in Bulk during your Erasmus

What is Bulk?

This is another way of consuming: you go to a store with your container (an empty jar, a glass bottle 
) that you fill with the product you need. Several stores in Lyon offer bulk today, so you can take advantage of your stay to try the experience.

Why bulk?

You can do it for the environment, since you will reduce your waste by doing this but you can also do it to reduce the cost of your stay in France: bulk can save 15 to 40%* and in addition you only buy what you need ! A good plan for your wallet!

Rice, pasta, sugar, cereals, nuts, dried fruit, coffee, oil, washing powder 
 you can find a lot of everyday products in bulk easily.

How do I find and leave my containers?

You can make your reserve of pots with your first purchases: jars of jam and bottles of fruit juice, once washed you can reuse them for your pasta and your olive oil.

In stores that offer bulk, you can also ask if they have excess containers or are left by customers. When you leave, you can leave your clean containers in these same stores so that someone else can use them after you.

Otherwise to avoid taking your jars (it’s heavy!), You can use “bulk bags” made of paper or even better, fabric! We can sew them, otherwise there are young companies in the metropolis that sell handmade, organic cotton or upcycled: Kufu, Mamie Colette, JosĂ©phine accessories


Next to our premises, you can go to 3 small peas for example but you will find bulk stores almost everywhere in Lyon: At the source towards Part-Dieu, Day by Day in Perrache, Bulko towards the Opera, Mamie Marie in Lyon 6, across the street from GuillotiĂšre or Le biocal in Villeurbanne, Prairial in Vaulx-en-Velin or the Super Halle in Oullins. Biocoop or Eau Vive stores also offer bulk.

To find these and other good addresses, you can go to the ZĂ©ro DĂ©chet Lyon website, which has posted a map of stores that accept that you come with your containers.

Thanks to Emma from the Zero Waste Lyon association for her help : to learn more about the ZeroWaste movement, go to their aperitifs and workshops throughout the year.

*Source: Zero Dechet Ze guide family

Yoan Pompet

Ciao ! Hello ! Parti en DUETI en Italie et en stage en Irlande, ces expériences internationales m'ont donné envie de m'engager à mon retour. Aujourd'hui, l'engagement associatif est mon quotidien, à ESN mais aussi dans d'autres associations sur l'environnement. Vous me retrouverez dans Lyon en train de lire dans les parcs ou de faire des claquettes dans les pubs irlandais.