This month is Plastic Free July. After a few stressful months that have resulted in being pretty lax about the whole zero waste thing,  I’m taking this as an opportunity to dive back in. I am endeavouring to share the journey here, starting with a grocery ‘haul’. Hopefully you will find some tips for your own zero waste shopping..

Here is everything before it is unpacked. The jute bag on the left is from Blank Clothing online and the others are supermarket branded. 

 

Here is everything! We get the majority of our fruits and vegetables delivered in a cardboard box with no plastic packaging from our local organic store. I will outline the purchases below and the plastic free packaging alternatives I used.

Fruit and Vegetables: I simply did not use any bags! It wasn’t necessary and the items could sit loosely in the larger reusable grocery bag. There is a cheeky strawberry punnet there 😬 My son loves strawberries and I have been told the punnets are recyclable – I would love to hear your alternatives though! 

Bread: I used two large bread bags and purchase these from the bakery – I freeze one bag and the other goes straight into the pantry. I also grabbed a couple of croissants in a smaller reusable bag.

Meat: I purchase our meat from a local butcher who stocks organic, grass fed or free range meats. I use a mix of glass jars and Pyrex containers. I usually purchase 3-4 days worth of meat and then we will usually eat meat-free meals for the remainder of the week. I haven’t yet found a great way to freeze meat.

Dairy: I purchased one two litre bottle of cows milk

Pantry: Flour was purchased in paper packaging, agave syrup in a glass bottle and pepitas and dehydrated apples in reusable bags from the bulk section. My son drinks almond milk and I purchased 4 of these in cartons.

Other: Finally, I purchased the Who Gives a Crap toilet paper which comes wrapped in paper. 

   
Please share your thoughts, tips and own experiences. My shop is in no way perfect but we are certainly improving as the weeks go by.

H x