Plastic-Free Shopping Tips

Greetings Friends,

Grocery shopping can be a difficult area for those of us wanting to live without plastic. When I first became aware of the less favorable traits of plastic my first trip to a grocery store was mortifying. I suddenly saw plastic in so many places that I never noticed it before. It wasn't that I didn't know that nearly everything in a conventional grocery store was covered in plastic, but I felt like a film had been lifted from my vision and these things I never thought of before were vibrating neon lights blaring at me. Even my debit card that I used to pay for my groceries is made of plastic! How is one to escape and still feed themselves?

I've put together some tips on how to successfully (most of the time) navigate your food buying ventures. Please share in the comments if you have other tips for us zero-wasters/plastic-avoiders. Knowledge is power!

Tip 1: Find Alternative Stores

• Of course I have to start off with encouraging you to support your local Farmer's Market. This is a great place to get fresh produce, homemade house products, and build relationships with the people who grew/made them. Plus most of the produce is unpackaged! 
• Similarly, look for deals/services with local farmers. I get my milk delivered to my work place in glass half gallon mason jars. I purchased two from the company and they are rotated in and out so literally the only packaging waste is the sale date sticker on each jar. 
• I love to go to my local co-op. I'm extremely blessed that I only live about 3 blocks from this store, so it's very convenient for me to walk there or stop by on my way home from work. Co-ops are great because they work with local farmers to sell regional produce. They also usually have a high standard of quality (such as certified organic labels) for the rest of their produce and other products, and carry many items in bulk or that are harder to find. I can get vitamins in glass jars at my co-op. I can get plain yogurt in a glass quart jar. I can get unpackaged dried beans, coffee, peanut butter, and even drinks like kombucha at my co-op. "You can get ___ at the co-op!" has become a household phrase with me and my roommate. 
  
• Other stores to look out for are health-food stores. While these are less likely to sell local produce they'll usually offer the other benefits that co-ops offer. The health-food store in my town is about twice the size of my co-op, and as such it has a much larger selection. It's located on the other side of town in an area that I don't usually have other reasons to visit, so I only go there about once every month or two to stock up on the things I can't get at my co-op: things like liquid castile soap, olive oil, dried fruit, and even peanut butter cup chocolates, all in bulk! 
• But maybe you don't live in a city as large as mine* or there just aren't a good selection of alternative stores in your area. Check out your larger grocery store chain. I've noticed a trend in growing bulk sections at these traditional grocery stores. If you find one, support it! Help the trend grow. 

*Disclaimer: on an (inter)national scale I live in a smallish town, but for Midwest USA standards I live in a medium sized city--the largest in my state. People in rural communities can live without plastic too. The challenges are different, but you can do it!

This bulk candy section showed up in my large conventional grocery store around Halloween and has stuck around since! I guess they have enough business to keep it going.

Tip 2: Carry Reusables With You
I live in a culture dependent on the personal vehicle. We'll save that topic itself for a different day. But the fact is I own a car. If you are like me, my next tip is to keep reusbales in your trunk. Then you don't have to think about it or worry--you always have what you need when you need it. A key to success with zero-waste/plastic free life is to plan ahead. This tip is especially helpful for the more spontaneous among us. I keep a box of mason jars, my reusable shopping bags, plastic storage containers, and homemade produce bags all in my trunk. Woah, woah, woah. Hard stop. Did I just say plastic storage containers?? Yes, I did. Because I already own them. My vendetta against plastic has to do with its affect on our environment, not so much its direct affect holding my food. Therefore I carry these square, large opening containers because they do a better job than my mason jars of storing meats and cheese. When they eventually break or the lids get lost I'll look for more sustainable alternatives--stainless steal tiffins seen to be a popular option in the zero waste community. But meat & cheese bring me to...


Tip 3: Use the Service Counter
Need some chicken breasts, bacon, pork chops, cheddar or Swiss cheese for a recipe? Yes, you could buy those already packaged in the refrigerated sections or you can talk to your larger grocery store's counters. I will admit, the meat counter at my preferred store has a large variety of workers so I never really know what reaction I'll get from them when I ask if I can forgo the wrapping and instead pack my purchase into my own container. Some workers insist that they must use the store provided wrapper. Others say "no problem!" and merrily put my price sticker on my container. The ladies at my cheese & bakery counters don't seem to mind at all. They say "Oh I remember you! Of course we can put your bread in your bag." The one sub-tip I'd include here is to always be polite. Never demand or even expect the worker to comply with your request. Thank them graciously when they do. Recognize any extra effort or service they had to do to comply with your request. Also, evaluate if you are willing to walk away if you can't get the product without plastic. Sometimes it's better to just live without it. ... Though I'm not quite there with cheese yet.

Tip 4: Be Flexible
Be willing to do your shopping at various locations. Plan out your trips based on what you can buy at  different stores. I always organize my shopping list by store/store type. If you can't find what you're looking for without packaging look for better packaging. Opt for the glass jar instead of the plastic bottle. Look for the pasta box with the smallest plastic window. Buy the largest container: generally there is less plastic in one large container per portion of product than two containers of the same quantity. Try making your own. When you find a hard-to-find product, photograph it so the next time you need that thing you can remember where you found it and how much it cost.

What are your experiences grocery shopping while avoiding plastic? Next time I plan to show you how to make your own cloth produce bags. Are there any requests on topics or how-to's you'd like me to cover? Thanks for joining me today. Until next time, take care!
Kate