Formulating a Zero Waste Shopping Routine

Are you thinking about living a zero-waste lifestyle? If so, you should understand that it is more than just a trend. This kind of lifestyle challenges the unhealthy habits of consumers that ultimately lead to health and environmental decline. It encourages the use of alternative reusable solutions instead of continuing the heavy dependence on plastic. Creating your own zero waste shopping routing can be challenging, but you’ll be able to reduce your shopping footprint by making little changes.

1) Use cotton produce bags, glass jars, and other reusable containers

This is all about following the 3 R’s. Reduce dependence on plastic, reuse as many items as you can, and recycle the things that don’t have to go to the trash bin. If you haven’t yet, buy reusable produce bags, glass jars, and other reusable containers. Take these with you whenever you go to the supermarket. Produce bags are perfect for fruits and vegetables, while jars with screw-top lids prove useful for storing wet foods.

2) Switch to zero waste food storage

There’s no use to changing your shopping routine if you don’t practice being green at home. Proper storage is crucial for keeping your food items fresh, but avoid using plastic containers as much as you can. Excellent alternatives include tiffin containers, reusable zip snack bags, mason jars, and glass bottles. Sustain offers a zero-waste food storage collection, making it easy to get your hands on the best reusable alternatives for storing your food at home.

3) Choose products in recyclable packaging

Sometimes, it’s inevitable to buy a pre-packaged item. In this case, try to choose one that comes in recyclable packagings such as glass, metal, or a lower-grade plastic packaging. You should know that plastic doesn’t really go through a recycling process. Instead, plastic goes through the process of downcycling, which means it is transformed into a lesser form of plastic until it degrades and gets thrown in the landfill.

4) Avoid anything that ends up in the trash

How many items do you throw in the trash as soon as you empty the contents? The most popular examples include bread tags, paper lists, and plastic code stickers. It can be tricky to avoid these things, but you’ll get the hang of it the more you practice your zero waste shopping routine.

5) Go to stores that encourage the practice

You’ll find all this a lot easier by doing your groceries at stores that encourage zero waste practices. In most cases, these are bulk food stores that compel customers to use reusable containers. This could mean avoiding large chain stores where you do most of your shopping, but making the switch proves well worth it, especially if greener stores aren’t far from your home. You might even meet likeminded customers and get tips from them on how to further reduce your shopping footprint and eliminate your dependence on plastic.

As you can see, living a zero-waste lifestyle requires more organization and planning than conventional shopping. But as long as you arrive at the supermarket prepared and ignore the strange looks other people might throw at you, you’ll thank yourself for taking action towards a more sustainable shopping experience.