4 Tips for Greener Shopping Trips

Hello guys and gals! This week I wanted to share a few tips that help reduce waste while grocery shopping. This can be a super hard task. Lately it has become harder and harder to find things not wrapped in plastic, or not in packaging to begin with. There are a few things I do to help me reduce waste while shopping and I wanted to share them with you.
1.  Create a List
This is super important, not only to save money, but to make sure you do not buy extra things that are packaged or not. Reducing the amount of unnecessary items you buy not only are you saving money, but you are reducing waste. This also keeps you focused on buy what you need, and in my opinion, makes my shopping trips so much easier.
2. Bring reusable bags
Pretty much every store has these reusable bags (HEB sells them for a dollar a piece and they are super cute!). I have three bags I bring to the store with me. They put all my groceries in here and it makes it so much easier to carry to my dorm. It also reduces the number of plastic bags used on my groceries. You can also get reusable produce bags. That way you do not have to use plastic bags on your produce. If you don’t want to commit to buying produce bags, remember not all produce needs to be placed in plastic bag. A lot of fruits and veggies are easy to keep together and have an outer skin that protects them.
3. Reduce the amount of meat you buy
Sounds like I am trying to convert you to be a vegetarian, but I swear I am not. Just think about the items of meat you buy. Do any of them come not wrapped in plastic? If you answered yes, then sure continue to buy those items, but if you answered no, maybe you should rethink those items. Even if you put plastic in the trash and it makes it to a land fill, it will not decompose for over 1,000 years! That is a long time. Most recycling places do not like to take items that still have food remains like meat juices on them. Even if you wash the plastic and Styrofoam used on your meat, you are still risking the spread of diseases from uncooked meat. To me it is just easier to go without meat.
4. Don’t buy plastic
I know this is a hard one, I still struggle with this one, but when you have the option don’t buy plastic. What do I mean buy this? Well instead of buying frozen veggies in plastic, buy canned veggies or fresh veggies. Buy your coffee grounds in a tin can versus plastic can. Try to find veggies not wrapped in plastic. Try to find milk not in a jug. Things like this take a lot of the plastic out of the landfills. Even if you have to buy plastic, please recycle it! This is super helpful for our environment.
 
I know taking steps to reduce waste is hard. If you are like me you want to just jump into it and be zero waste, but that’s a challenge when so much of what we use is plastic or creates waste. But if you take small steps you can start reducing your waste. I’m not perfect and you do not have to be either to start making a difference!
Love Always,
Mikala