Food shopping is an area where we have a big opportunity to reduce our environmental impact. Have you ever done a serious audit of the bags you bring home from the supermarket? Chances are you’ll find a lot of unnecessary single-use packaging. Today’s post has tips for sustainable and low-waste grocery shopping. As an added bonus, some of these changes might save you a little money.
This post was originally published in September 2019 as “Tips for greener grocery shopping”
Food packaging generates a lot of waste
The Government of Canada reports that one-third of all household waste in Canada is from food packaging—and only 20% of it is reused or recycled.
Canada’s large supermarket chains recognize the problem, and they know they have a responsibility to do something about it. The internal Plastics Steering Committee at Loblaw Companies Limited identified 100 different initiatives to reduce plastic in their stores and is already taking steps to address them. Sobeys, another of our large grocery chains, has eliminated plastic bags from their checkouts, and is working with their suppliers to reduce packaging waste.
But while stores are taking steps in the right direction, we still have a long way to go. What can we do now to make a difference?
Tips for sustainable and low-waste grocery shopping
The day when large companies fully implement sustainable practices may be years away. In the meantime, there are ways to reduce the environmental impact of your grocery shopping. Let’s look at some ideas on how you can do that.
Use reusable shopping bags and bins
While you can’t do much about the way products are packaged, you can control how you carry your groceries home from the supermarket. Get some reusable shopping bags and bins and take them with you every time you shop.
Keep your bags in your car and use them for all your shopping. It’s easy to forget your reusable bags when you just run into the store for a few items. For those occasions, I keep a packable bag clipped to my wallet!
Ditch the plastic produce bags
Most fruits and vegetables don’t need to be in bags. If you’re just buying one or two peppers, cucumbers or zucchini, buy them loose. For everything else, get some reusable mesh or cloth produce bags.
Helpful tip: If your produce bags have a habit of getting lost at the bottom of your shopping bags, keep them all together in another small bag so you can easily find them.
Think BYOC
If you haven’t heard of BYOC, it stands for bring your own container. BYOC was unheard of until a few years ago, but it’s a trend that’s catching on as more and more stores allow it. If you live in Waterloo Region, take a look at the BYOC directory on the region’s website.
Since discovering I could refill my soap and cleaning supplies at Molloy’s, I’ve become a huge fan of BYOC. I buy baking supplies, spices, pasta, tea, and other dry goods at Bulk Barn. (Money saving tip: Bulk Barn gives a 15% discount on Sundays for customers using their own containers.)
When shopping in other stores, don’t be afraid to ask if you can use your own container. If enough customers start to demand this, it will become the norm.
Reject excess packaging
Get into the habit of scrutinizing the items you buy and refuse to buy products with excessive packaging. There are low waste alternatives for many products—you just need to look for them.
When you have a choice, opt for glass jars and bottles instead of plastic. Unlike plastic which can only be downcycled, glass can be recycled over and over without sacrificing quality. You can also reuse the jars for storage or for shopping at the bulk food store.
Shop at the farmers’ market or local farms
Buying direct from farmers cuts down on transportation costs, and packaging waste. We’re so lucky to have the St. Jacob’s farmer’s market a short drive from our house. It’s a great place to buy quality meat and produce while supporting local farmers.
When fresh fruit is in season, pick-your-own farms are another excellent, low-waste option. There’s nothing better than fresh-picked berries, or apples.
Consider homemade over prepackaged
Finally, although convenient, many packaged foods are high in fat, sodium and sugar. Homemade items are often healthier, and less expensive than prepackaged…not to mention less waste. Try experimenting with some homemade recipes. I’ve started making large batches of homemade soups and freezing them…in glass jars, of course. Delicious.
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As with most sustainability concerns, there are many simple changes we can make today that will make a difference. Give one or two of these ideas a try today and let me know how it goes.
By the way, October is just around the corner. If you want to get serious about waste reduction, why not try the Zero Waste Challenge like I did last year? It’s a great opportunity to do an audit of your household waste and develop some new habits.
Do you have other tips for low-waste grocery shopping to share? Please tell us about them below.
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I always thought that sustainable grocery shopping would be expensive, so this is a really insightful post. Sustainable grocery shopping is something I need to work on moving forward.
I always use a reusable shopping bag and have even put a reusable one in my partner’s work bag, as he would always forget to take one if he wanted to nip to the shop straight after work.
I have a reusable bag for fruit and vegetables as well, and it is bright red with penguins on it, so I don’t lose it. Bring your own container is something that I need to do more of, as I have found a local refill shop about a 25-minute walk from my home.
Thank you for sharing! 😊
I’m happy to hear that you’ve found a refill shop in your area. They are definitely becoming more common. The bulk soap supply shop I go to is about a 30-minute drive for me but it’s close to my where my mum lives so I go there when I go to visit her. Luckily, the bulk food store is closer because I definitely go there more often.
Thanks for dropping by!
We are going to get through what we have first and then go check the refill shop out properly. We are hoping to find some affordable, sustainable products we can use.
Thank you for your response. 😊
Thanks for these tips! We always have reusable bags and totes at the ready in our trunks. Nothing angers me more than seeing a cucumber wrapped in plastic wrap or banana’s in plastic casings! Grrr
Ugh. Yes, plastic-wrapped cucumbers are the absolute worst.
I hope more people embrace the idea of buying produce loose instead of in plastic bags. I do the same thing if I’m buying items like you mention. The reusable produce bags have always been out of my budget, but I can still reject the plastic by keeping the produce on their own.
That’s such a great way of looking at it. Many people think sustainable living is expensive—and it can be if you rush out and buy every zero-waste product on the market. But if you make an conscious choice to cut down plastic by doing what you can, it will make a difference.
Excellent tips! we have an Aldi’s here & love that they require us to bring our own bags.
I never thought about the pros of buying products in GLASS rather than plastic. I think a lot of the things I buy are either in cans or plastic. Except for spaghetti sauce which is in a glass jar.
What do you do with the glass jars though?
The whole glass vs plastic debate is an interesting one. I try to reuse my glass jars or I put them in the recycle bin. But I learned last year that our local municipality doesn’t have a market for recycled glass. They grind up the glass that is collected in our recycle program. Then they combine it with ground up used toilets (yes, toilets) to make road beds for the landfill.
On the other hand, they do have a market for all the plastic collected in the recycle program. It is sold to companies that upcycle it into durable goods like patio furniture.
The more I learn, the more I realize that none of these choices are as simple as they seem on the surface.
Yes recycling glass is not as widespread here either. I guess the best option would be to simply reuse them if possible, or give the empty glass jars to neighbors or friends
Yes. I think that may be the best option. Or put a deposit on them and have them returned to the manufacturer to sterilize and refill. That works well for beer bottles and it’s what we used to do with glass pop bottles years ago.
that’s a good idea. Unfortunately I don’t know of any places thatdo take glass jars or bottles though 🙁
Hi Helen, I use jarred sauce too and save the jars for storing things, like brown sugar, nuts, rice, and for freezing soup stock.
That’s such a great approach, Judy. I love freezing my homemade soups in glass jars. The spaghetti sauce jars are perfect for two servings.
I agree, we should be asking to BYOC to the Retail store. They’ll change; Stores reduce their Packaging cost- savings to the Retailer. Win-Win! ( Over sized clam shell plastic containers make me nutty!)
Me too. I question everything I buy now. It takes all the fun out of shopping – not that I was an avid shopper to begin with. LOL
Excellent tips, Michelle! I hadn’t heard about the “BYOC” before. I wonder if they have it here? In fact, I have never seen a bulk store here. 🙁 Cher xo
BYOC is a pretty recent development for us too. I hope to see this trend grow!
Yes, I sure hope so too, Michelle!!