Duluth’s ultimate zero waste guide

Written By April hepokoski

Below is a comprehensive list of local businesses for zero waste purchases/loans, repairs, donations, recycling, compost, activities and more (Click here for a PDF to save!)

Where to find bulk:

“bulk” is referring to buying a product without packaging, with your own bag or container

Meat

  • Super One Foods meat and deli counter (West Duluth, Kenwood, Cloquet, etc.)

  • Adolph Store/Stokkke’s Meat Market (3710 Midway Rd., Duluth)

  • Stokke’s Meat Market (4942 Jean Duluth Rd., Duluth)

  • Superior Meats (6301 Tower Ave., Superior)

  • Old World Meats (226 S. Basswood Ave., Duluth)

  • Northern Waters Smokehouse (394 S. Lake Ave. #106, Duluth)

Food

  • Whole Foods Coop (4426 Grand Ave. and 610 E. 4th St., Duluth)

  • Cloquet Natural Foods (502 Carlton Ave., Cloquet)

  • Cub Foods* (615 W. Central Entrance, Duluth)

  • Mount Royal Fine Foods* (1600 Woodland Ave., Duluth)

*their registers may not be familiar with taking off the tare weight; use a light bag so the weight of the bag doesn’t add a lot to your purchase

  • Duluth’s Best Bread (2632 W. 3rd St., Duluth)

  • Great Harvest Bread Co. (3 S. 13th Ave. E, Duluth)

  • 3rd Street Bakery: call ahead to know what time to get bread package-free (1202 E. 3rd St., Duluth)

  • Vikre Distillery: they take back the liquor bottles and give $1 back per bottle (525 S. Lake Ave. #102, Duluth)

  • Love Creamery: ice cream packaged in commercially compostable packaging (pint containers, ice cream sandwiches), commercially compostable utensils, and have compost available on premises. Pints also available at the Whole Foods Coop. Ice cream sandwiches also available at 3rd Street Bakery. (1908 W. Superior St., and 366 S. Lake Ave., Duluth)

  • Juice Pharm: has compostable to-go ware and deposit system for glass juice containers (208 E. 1st St., Duluth)

  • North and Shore: Miel honey – refills offered at farmer’s markets (1832 W. Superior St., #102, Duluth)

  • Local Farm CSAs

  • Farmer’s markets

  • Anahata Herbals: tea packaged in compostable packaging, sold in bulk at Whole Foods Coop and farmer’s markets, pick up in person at 3583 Martin Rd., Duluth

  • Superior Small Batch: sell veggie burgers in plastic-free packaging, sold at Super One Foods, Whole Foods Coop and Mount Royal

Household and Cleaning

  • Ren Market (1832 W. Superior St. Suite 104, Duluth)

  • Whole Foods Coop (4426 Grand Ave. and 610 E. 4th St., Duluth)

  • Darlin Handmades (“not paper towels”): sold at Ren Market and North and Shore

  • Cloquet Natural Foods (502 Carlton Ave., Cloquet)

  • Materials Recovery Center Reuse Area: donate and “shop” furniture, sporting goods, kitchen sinks, etc. (4587 Ridgeview Rd., Duluth) https://wlssd.com/

Pets

  • Dan’s Feed Bin: bulk food (806 Hammond Ave., Superior)

  • Petco: bulk cat litter you can buy in your own container, priced for 16 or 30 pounds. If you buy a different amount, they will price match to a different amount. (903 W. Central Entrance, Duluth)

  • Ren Market: pet treats (1832 W. Superior St. Suite 104, Duluth)

  • A Place for Fido: pet treats (Fitger’s Brewery Complex, 600 E. Superior St. Ste 120, Duluth)

  • Matter of Trust: donate hair, fur, fleece to help clean oil spills Matter Of Trust | Eco-Enthusiasts for Renewable Resources

  • Matilda’s Dog Bakery: homemade treats and package-free (4521 E. Superior St., Duluth)

Milk (returnable glass jugs)

  • Whole Foods Coop (4426 Grand Ave. and 610 E. 4th St., Duluth)

  • Super One Foods: also have heavy whipping cream at some locations

Where to donate used items and/or buy used items:

Socks (with holes/unwanted socks)

  • Trailfitters: call ahead to make sure they have the collection box available (Fitger’s Brewery Complex, 600 E. Superior St., Duluth)

  • Duluth Pack: call ahead to make sure they have the collection box available (365 Canal Park Dr., Duluth)

  • SmartWool: all brands, colors, sizes, and materials (Mail to: Material Return, Attn: SmartWool Second Cut, 647 Hopewell Rd., Morganton, N.C. 28655 https://www.smartwool.com/what-matters.html#/smartwool/the-second-cut-project

Fabric – Other (torn)

  • East Range Development Achievement Center: ERDAC (800 A Ave., Eveleth)

Shoes (with holes)

  • Tortoise and Hare Footwear: accepts small quantities of shoes in any condition, prefer athletic shoes (4002 Grand Ave., Duluth)

  • Nike: see website for participating retailers: https://www.nike.com/help/a/recycle-shoes

Shoes (gently worn)

Plastic Bags/Film Recycling (store fronts)

  • Walmart

  • Target

  • Super One Foods

  • Whole Foods Coop (4426 Grand Ave. and 610 E. 4th St., Duluth)

Sports Gear and Equipment

  • Play-It-Again Sports (1256 W. Arrowhead Rd., Duluth and 124 Belknap St., Superior)

  • Duluth Gear Exchange: take outdoor gear and clothing in good condition (510 E. 4th St., Duluth)

Electronics

  • Best Buy: recycle (5105 Burning Tree Rd., Duluth)

Egg Cartons

  • Whole Foods Coop (4426 Grand Ave. and 610 E. 4th St., Duluth)

  • Local farms

Garden Tools, Mason Jars and Gardening Books

Bubble Wrap (in clean and good condition)

  • Pack and Mail (4602 Grand Ave. Suite 500, Duluth)

Baby and Children’s Clothes and Items

  • Lots for Tots: they buy and sell used (4921 Matterhorn Dr., Duluth)

  • Once Upon a Child (5115 Burning Tree Rd. Unit 308, Duluth)

Hair

Instruments (in good condition)

  • High school band classrooms: check with band director first

Books

DVDs

  • Libraries

Compost Drop-off Sites

  • At Sara’s Table Chester Creek Café (1902 E. 8th St., Duluth)

  • WLSSD Household Hazardous Waste Facility: available 24/7 (27th Ave. W. and Courtland St., Duluth)

  • WLSSD Materials Recovery Center (Rice Lake and Ridgeview Rd., Duluth)

  • Concordia Lutheran Church: north parking lot (2501 Woodland Ave., Duluth)

  • Lake Superior College: west building parking lot, near loading dock (2101 Trinity Rd., Duluth)

  • Willard Munger Inn (7408 Grand Ave., Duluth)

  • YMCA at Essentia Wellness Center: southwest corner of parking lot (4289 Ugstad Rd., Hermantown)

Bikes

Razor Blades

Art Supplies

  • Classrooms/preschools

Pick-your-own Bulk Fruit

  • Spectrum Farms: strawberries (2332 Co. Rd 4, Carlton)

  • Farm Lola: honeyberries, blueberries and eggs (798 Cemetery Rd., Wrenshall)

  • Uff-da Organics Strawberry (2538 County Road 102, Wrenshall)

Second-hand Shops

  • Goodwill (700 Garfield Ave. and 1352 W. Arrowhead Rd., Duluth and 4883 Miller Trunk Hwy, Hermantown)

  • Savers (1740 Mall Dr., Duluth)

  • Earth Exchange (1713 Belknap St., Superior)

  • Plato’s Closet (1702 Miller Trunk Hwy #105, Duluth)

  • Father Time Antiques (395 S. Lake Ave. # 1, Duluth)

  • Soul Sisters (Mall, 215 N. Central Ave., Duluth)

Ideas for items you can’t donate:

  • Curbside free pile

  • “Buy Nothing” groups (see BORROW/RENT INSTEAD OF BUY section for groups on Facebook)

Experience gift ideas instead of physical gifts:

  • Duluth Aquarium

  • Vista Fleet

  • Adventure Zone

  • Mini golf

  • The Depot

  • Duluth Children’s Museum

  • The Duluth Playhouse

  • Spirit Mountain Recreational Area

  • Defy Duluth Trampoline Park

  • Lessons: swimming, music (piano, guitar, etc.)

  • Summer camps like Camp Miller

  • Valley Fair

  • Lake Superior Zoo

  • Crafting classes (Michaels, Yarn Harbor, Lake Superior Art Class, Duluth Maker’s Space, The Duluth Folk School, Sew Duluth)

  • Movie theater tickets

  • Get Pickin’ (agate picking in Cloquet)

  • Glensheen Mansion

  • Sport game tickets

  • State park pass

  • “Be a Tourist” for a day (go sightseeing in Duluth: Maritime Museum, Enger Tower, Quarry Park, get a treat, etc.)

  • Bowling

  • Swiftwater Adventure (whitewater rafting)

  • Adventure Zone

  • Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center (ropes course)

  • Hotel stays

  • Edgewater Hotel and Waterpark

  • YMCA membership

  • High Ropes Minnesota (ropes course)

  • Pinehurst Beach pass (Cloquet)

  • Open swim passes at any pool

Borrow/rent instead of buy:

Green Circle Salons (local locations) Green Circle Salons | Become a Sustainable Salon

  • London Rayne Salon

  • Hustle and Heart Salon

  • Studio 33 Hair Design

Makeup

  • Ren Market (1832 W. Superior St. Suite 104, Duluth)

Baby

  • Little Neetchers: cloth diapers, natural creams in reusable metal containers, etc. (1832 W. Superior St., Duluth)

Repair opportunities:

  • Duluth Gear Exchange: gear repair services such as zipper replacements (510 E. 4th St., Duluth)

  • Burger’s Shoes (1609 Carlton Ave., Cloquet)

  • Bear Shoe Works (801 Tower Ave., Superior)

Another great resource for community initiatives in the Duluth area:

Community Initiatives – Duluth Citizens’ Climate Action Plan (ecolibrium3.org)

Please let us know if any links are broken, if listed information is no longer accurate, or if you have a suggestion we can add. Also, a big THANK YOU to all the followers of Zero Waste Duluth on Facebook and Instagram as many of these ideas came from you! -April Hepokoski april@thelittlebarnyardpreschool.com

April hepokoski
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