Consumers can absolutely be a part of the solution when it comes to reducing waste. Canadian supermarket chain Metro realizes that, which is why they’re allowing customers to bring reusable containers from home to fill with meat, seafood, deli products, and prepared foods. Although it seems ridiculous that you couldn’t use your own containers in the first place, Metro is one of the first major supermarkets to allow this. A few rules apply. Containers must be clean and staff can refuse to fill if they’re not clean enough. Plastic containers and ziplock bags are allowed, as long as they do not have a ‘company name’ on them (also ridiculous). And the staff responsible for filling containers must wash their hands frequently and ensure that containers do not touch food preparation surfaces. Metro says its goal is to reduce single-use packaging, something that customers are increasingly concerned about. While implementing a system like the much-hyped Loop system (where stores provide reusable containers that customers take home, then return for cleaning) is something supermarkets may look to do in the future, this is an immediate solution to the problem. For now, the program is limited to Quebec, but it’s only a matter of time till more supermarkets follow suit.