Going zero waste: New store opening in San Mateo aims to reduce plastic use

The store will serve the growing downtown community who want a sustainable grocery store option and as a destination for others in the Bay Area who want goods without plastic involved. Porter knows many people go to San Francisco to shop at more sustainable grocery stores. She believes the growing interest in sustainability and lack of stores like hers presented an opportunity she thinks can thrive with community support.

“I want this store to be a community space, and I want it to be something that will support the community. With Trag’s closing, we don’t have a ton of grocery options downtown.” I’m hoping people will start to look at this like a space to learn and get inspired,” Porter said.

The store has minimalist, sustainable and open themes, with tall ceilings and wood shelves for a home feel. The checkout stands are secondhand and repurposed from furniture, providing an eclectic feel different from a more uniform grocery store. The store also focuses on sourcing local and non-GMO and organic options.

Porter grew up in South Carolina before moving to San Francisco and spending nearly 20 years in corporate financing. She moved to San Mateo 11 years ago and started Byrd’s Filling Station from her house in 2019 as a delivery service for personal care, kitchen and cleaning supplies. Porter first became interested in a store after participating in Plastic Free July in 2018, an initiative encouraging people to go without plastic for at least a month. Porter tried it from her home near downtown San Mateo. However, all she could get was bread, eggs and produce, with few options for anything else, as even pasta has a plastic film on the outside. She shopped in bulk bins but had to go to three different grocery stores in a week to get everything she needed without plastic.

“That was the beginning of me realizing that we didn’t have a choice but to have plastic everywhere around us, and if we wanted to get away from it and not use it so much, it was going to be a lot of work,” Porter said.

She had initially planned to rent a space in March 2020 and was close to signing an agreement a week before lockdowns. Using bulk bins would not have been possible with pandemic restrictions, so she delayed opening and went back to work in corporate finance before finding a space at the end of 2021.

Porter hopes the store will change people’s habits and expand to create a sustainable corner store and community hub throughout the area. Community input will be a factor in what brands and options the store add. It often takes research and effort to be sustainable in a society where plastic is so easily provided, and Porter has planned her store to be welcoming to both experts and novices.

“Zero waste is an ideal, and you don’t have to be perfect to do a little bit better. Even doing one thing better is better than doing nothing,” Porter said.

In the future, Porter hopes to figure out how to make meat and cheese available, as they both would require plastic to be in the store. Porter also wants an online option like Instacart. However, challenges remain in figuring out how to cut out prepackaging for delivery, although she is looking into having customers bring the containers back.

“It’s not unusual for a Starbucks to pop up everywhere,” Porter said. “Why should it be abnormal for a refill store to show up in a neighborhood?”

Byrd’s Filling Station will host a June 3 grand opening at 219 S. San Mateo Drive in San Mateo. A soft launch will take place from May 18 to June 2. People interested in learning more can go to byrdsfillingstation.com for more information.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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