Australians throw away around 1.9 million tonnes of packaging each year. Enough to fill the Melbourne Cricket Ground nine times over.
Whilst companies need to do better with their packaging, we as consumers need to do better too, if we don’t buy their packaging they will need to stop making it.
TIP 3 // LOOK FOR PRODUCTS IN ECO-FRIENDLY PACKAGING.
Here are some options when you are in the supermarket -
TOMATOES - buy loose tomatoes (and don’t put them in a single use plastic bag) or grow your own cherry toms.
FRUIT & VEG - don’t put them in the plastic produce bags, especially now RedCycle has paused. Put them loose in your trolley or take your reusable produce bags with you.
MUSHROOMS - go loose and use the paper bags they provide. MEAT - buy meat from the Deli instead and take your own container.
SAUCES & SPREADS - choose the glass bottles over the plastic ones, I have BBQ and tomato sauce in glass bottles, as well as peanut butter, mayonnaise, jam, marmalade etc
DETERGENT FOR DISHES AND CLOTHES - choose powder in a cardboard box over liquid in a plastic bottle.
CHEESE - buy a block of cheese and slice it yourself at home instead of buying the pre sliced in plastic packaging.
HAND WASH & BODY WASH - use a bar of soap instead.
THINK CARDBOARD, GLASS AND TINS!
And if you can, shop at The Source Bulk Foods, you don’t have to do a full shop there, you can pick a few items that work for you, take your own containers with you and save so much packaging!
Have you got any others to add?