Plastic Free Grocery Shopping

Changing your grocery shopping habits can be amazingly impactful on your carbon footprint. And, I’m not trying to convince you to become vegan or vegetarian. I simply want to tell you some easy shopping habits that people of all diets and incomes can use to eliminate plastic and reduce overall waste. 

These habits at a glance are very easy. However, like any habit, it takes time to make it routine, so don’t give up if you forget your reusable grocery bags once. Don’t give up if you forget them a second, a third, and a twenty-third time. Before I committed myself to plastic free living, I would forget my reusable bags every time I went to the grocery store. Now, I use my own mason jars and vegetable bags along with my grocery bags. 

SIX easy grocery shopping habits to reduce your carbon footprint:

1.    USE YOUR OWN REUSABLE GROCERY BAGS

This step is like the gateway drug to a plastic free lifestyle. Once you get the trick of bringing those bags into the store every time you shop, the rest of these habits will be cake. There are so many pros. Don’t have to collect plastic bags in several drawers of your kitchen, hoping to find a way to get rid of them. No more bags breaking on the way home. No more plastic bag handles digging into your hands. We haven’t even gotten to the main reasons…the ones about saving the planet. Plastic bags are used for an average of 12 minutes, but they take 500 years to degrade in landfills and oceans. Plastic bags kill marine animals and release microplastics when breaking down that enters our food and water supply. There is one con.You have to remember them.

 

2.    USE YOUR PLASTIC FREE VEGETABLE/FRUIT BAGS

Many fruits and vegetables don’t need to be carried home in bags. But, some foods are definitely easier to bring home in small bags. If you can afford it or want some bags fast, you can buy bags of many different types online. I like the mesh bags from shopearthhero.com. If you don’t have a lot of extra money to spend or like to create things, you can make your own bags. I also made bags from left over fabric from a costume. Any old fabric will do or head to Joann’s and get a fabric on sale. You don’t need a lot to make a few grocery bags.

3.    SHOP BULK IF POSSIBLE

Bulk shopping makes me so happy. You can get exactly the amount you need. It’s almost always cheaper than the same item in a package. There is no waste, other than what is required to grow the food. It’s magic. I realize not everyone has access to bulk foods though. Search your city for ways to bulk shop. Whole Foods stores are everywhere, many cities have co-ops, and many smaller groceries have bulk as well. You will also need home containers for your bulk foods. I use mason jars because my mom and I already have so many from canning. Also, you can keep food containers, for example peanut butter jars, instead of recycling them. Lastly, you can buy very cheap glass or metal jars second hand at Goodwill, or even cheap new jars at Marshalls or TJ Maxx. 

 

4.    BUY FOODS IN PLASTIC ALTERNATIVE CONTAINERS

If you can’t make bulk shopping happen, buy your foods in plastic free containers. Glass and metal containers are recycled more easily than plastic. This is the most difficult habit to form. So many of the foods we enjoy are in plastic. I get it. Pretzels are one of my favorite snacks, and I cannot find them in bulk in Los Angeles. Now, I’m not giving up. I will keep searching new grocery stores and asking staff at Whole Foods to please get bulk pretzels. You may make sacrifices, but if you keep looking, you will be surprised what you find. Just the other day, I found a company that sells milk, cream, and yogurt in glass jars, and they encourage you to return the jars to the store for the company to reuse. I was so excited! Mostly, because I love cream in my coffee, but also because I had looked in that store many times for yogurt in glass and had not found anything. Get excited about the new foods you find and try not to think about what you are leaving behind.

 

5.    SHOP LOCAL MARKETS AND STORES IF POSSIBLE

I love to go to the local farmers market for fruit and veggies. I can’t get berries or grapes at the store because they are always in plastic containers. So, I indulge a little at the market. There are so many markets in Los Angeles, with so many organic and vegan vendors. Even in the small town I grew up in, there were farmer markets. Again, just keep searching in your city.

6.    MAKE WHAT YOU CAN’T BUY

Bread is often in bags with plastic in the grocery store. It can be made easily at home with just a few ingredients. If you have a good sunny spot at home, grow some vegetables or fruits. I live in a bungalow tightly surrounded by other bungalows, and I was able to grow some herbs this year. Next year, I will be adding some fruit plants. If you live in a colder climate, canning foods can help you get through the winter months.

We shop frequently for groceries which makes it a perfect way to dive into the world of zero waste living. Don’t give up! Every day, you are making small changes to improve your world. This is a safe place to talk about your struggles, and I want to hear them, so feel free to share in comments!

Happy plastic free shopping!