Plastic Free Shopping - Part 1

Plastic. It's everywhere. 

Plastic is a hot topic at the moment and something that I'm absolutely starting to become a little passionate about. Some people are calling this awareness the "Blue Planet Effect", as there has started to be a huge talk of the issue since David Attenborough's Blue Planet II series. Something I am so so happy he shared on his programme. There's so many areas in which plastic can be avoided, but today I want to share with you supermarket shopping.

You know those annoying, plastic, non reuasable, flimsy produce bags in the shops to weigh your fruit and vegetables in and you take home? Well, you can stop using them! These bags can end up polluting our oceans along with all other kinds of litter and plastics, killing sealife.

I've put together a little step by step guide below from using these bags, to using less of them, to making your own! 

Option 1:

If you're only at the initial stages of changing your plastic use and haven't any alternatives at the moment, just limit your use. Instead of using a bag for say, carrots, bananas, courgettes etc just use one. Weigh your fruit/veg and stick all the labels onto one bag. 

Option 2:

If you still feel like you need to use a plastic bag, don't use the ones in the shops that you put in the bin, instead use a more sturdy bag that's reusable - one that you can wash and use again. 

Option 3:

Don't use any bags. Weigh your fruit/veg and stick the label directly onto each item - this isn't harmful all you need to do is give your fruit/veg a quick wash if you like before you eat it (which you may have done when you use a plastic bag anyway).

Option 4:

Take your own bag. Any bag for that matter. Using your own bag makes this so much easier to put through the checkout, carry it home, and just give your bag a little wash every now and then to stay clean. You could put the labels on the outside of the bag, or if you're unpacking it at the till, again just stick directly onto the fruit/veg.

Option 5:

Make your very own produce bag! This is something my amazing sister has made herself, and I am about to start making. Maybe I will blog the process, but I'll wait and see if its a success first! This way you can reuse it time and time again, the labels will come straight off the bag too.

I hope that even if one of you reading this changes your habit of using these bags when you do your weekly food shop, and that alone has a big impact. Imagine how many grocery bags one family goes through, just switching out one item of plastic is better than none - let me know how you get on!

♥