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Long grocery lists, a million trips to the grocery store, and trash cans filled to their brims with waste – Happy Holidays! To enrich your holiday cheer, know that it doesn’t have to be so hard on you, or the planet. There are ways to significantly reduce waste during the Holidays and beyond with just a little care and preparation. Take a deep breath, envision that veggie platter, and use these sustainable tips to reduce your carbon emissions during the jolliest time of the year!
Bring Your Own Reusable Bags
It is time to say ‘heck no’ to single-use plastic and paper bags. Most grocery stores these days sell reusable bags that are made from plastic and are sturdy enough to be used multiple times. But, the most sustainable option is to invest in cloth totes that are made from natural fibers like linen and cotton. These are much more sustainable than plastic reusable bags since they’re biodegradable, can be washed and reused and don’t contribute to microplastics.
8 Cotton & Recycled Totes That Are Great Alternatives to Plastic Bags
A Cotton canvas tote bag is durable and strong enough to carry all of your veggies safely from the grocery store to the platter.
Shop The Bulk Section
Containers and packaging accounted for 82.2 million tons of municipal solid waste, in 2018.
The beauty of the bulk section has been overlooked for far too long. It gives you the option to buy only what you need so that you’re less likely to waste food. Seek out grocery stores in your area with a bulk section if possible. Also, if you want another sustainable tip, avoid the single-use plastic or paper bags provided in these sections. Swing by your local thrift store for glass mason jars. If you can’t find any there, it is easy to come across mason jars sold in packs for your bulk shopping convenience.
Another option is to purchase glass snap ware or cloth produce bags, which can be used for dry goods as well. Buying in bulk reduces waste immensely, cutting out all of the individual packaging that our food typically comes home with us in, saving our earth from cans, jugs, and plastic containers.
Say “No” To Plastic Produce Bags…. Again
Oh the produce section, magnificent in variety and color from eggplants to broccolini, snap peas to portobello mushrooms… and more disposable bags everywhere you turn. Don’t put your veggies into plastic bags that the grocery stores provide, simply place them into your reusable hemp tote bag and wash them off at home. If you’re worried about your veggies getting squished about, use those same cloth produce bags to keep them safe and cozy until you chop them up and delicately place them in a beautiful pattern on your reusable wooden platter.
Choose Recyclable/Reusable Packaging Whenever Possible
Whenever you find yourself pondering over which goat cheese to buy, opting for the one that comes in a glass jar will speed up the process. Glass is reusable and maybe that jar could later join your bulk container collection. If you’re ever caught in a dilemma of which crackers to buy, seek out ones that come in plant-based packaging or recyclable packaging. When the packaging is plant-based or recycled, it says so on the outside of the product.
It is important to recognize that some compostable packing is only compostable at certain facilities. Sustainable packaging can either be made of post-consumer recycled material or plant-based fibers such as Biotré.
Support You Local Farmers’ Markets
Shopping locally is a highly effective way to reduce your carbon footprint immensely. Farmers markets have grown in popularity and they cut transportation pollution and CO2 emissions. Shopping locally reduces supply chain pollution. Buying your produce locally is also much better for the soil, as many of these farmers are certified organic and practice regenerative farming techniques like crop rotation and nutrient cycling to protect the soil. Bring your cloth tote bag, produce bags, and old glass goat cheese containers that are already wiped clean because it was that good.