CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — This week’s Difference Maker is The Eco Flamingo, an environmentally conscious general store in Lincoln Square.
Along the wall of The Eco Flamingo are canisters of nuts, grains, legumes and more, but there are no plastic bags to put them in. General Manager Alexis Chavez said this general store is zero waste.
“We allow you to bring in your own container, and you’re just refilling things that we have here instead of going to the store and purchasing something that’s already in plastic or other packaging,” Chavez said. “We’re just helping people reduce their waste.”
Brett has been shopping at the store on a tree-lined stretch of Rockwell near Lawrence for three years. He said he fills up glass jars and other containers that he brings from home, just two blocks away.
“But I think I would travel any distance for this … it’s the only place like this where you can get almost anything, and you can reduce your plastic waste and, honestly, get pretty good deals,” he said.
Chavez explained how the Filljoy system works, which allows customers to only pay for how much — or little — they want.
“You’re going to press it up against this little sensor here, and this now registers the weight of your jar, so it’s registered on this little smart tag,” she said. “You want to keep that with your container.”
The store sells more than 300 items in bulk and works with local vendors as much as possible.
“We have Snack Lab; he does potato chips,” Chavez said. “We have Theo’s Beet Jerky, who does beet and potato jerky; and then all of our granolas are from River Valley.”
Opening at the start of the pandemic meant staff had to fill orders or limit how many customers inside but Chavez says they’ve found a loyal customer base.
The Eco Flamingo, Making a Difference on Chicago’s North Side — and hopefully the planet.
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