Mga Vrac, Montreal's largest no-waste grocery store, opens in Rosemont

At Mga Vrac in Montreal's RosemontLa Petite-Patrie borough, customers won't see elaborate packaging, name brands, or even plastic bags.

The bulk food store, which openedSaturday, has gone "no waste" in an effort to reduce food waste and plastic consumption.

Customers are asked to bring their own packaging for whatever they're planning to buy. When they go in, staff weigh their jars, bags, and containers, then subtract the weight of the packaging so customers pay only for the product inside.

One of the store's managers, Anis Belkheir, said he's tapping into demand for ecologically-friendly businesses.

"A lot of clients saidit could be a good idea if you go zerowaste, so we had a lot of support from our clients,"he said.

"It is really trendy. And you can see this community in Europe, you can see it in France, you can see it in United States, and it's becoming bigger and bigger in Montreal."

Lifestyle change

One of the store's first customers, Xavier Malo, said he started buying food in bulk because he was concerned about his plastic consumption, but once he shifted his food-buying habits, his lifestyle changed as well.

"You have to cook, and also since you buy in bulk, it's cheaper. And since you have to cook, it's cheaper still," he said.

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