About a year and a half ago my partner and I moved to Australia, and purged our lives of everything but our essentials. Since then, we’re tried to keep it up and only keep the things we need. We’ve done our best to reduce our consumption of single-use items, reuse items until they’re done-for, and recycle items in their designated bins. It’s difficult to jump into it all, but here’s a few concrete tips to start implementing into your own routines. Ready? Set. Get shopping.
BYOB
This is basic. Bring your own bags! I'm guessing you've already got this covered, so here are some of the practices we've started implementing into our grocery shopping routine to take bigger steps into reducing our waste. By no means are we perfect, but we do our best.
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Visit your local butcher/fishmonger
We like to take get our meat and seafood from separate butchers and fishmongers around the city for several reasons. The goods they carry are mostly local and the quality of the meat is generally better. The eggs we get from our butcher are actually free range (check to see if yours are here), The meat/fish we get are labelled by the country of origin, and finally, we're supporting local business; the best of all worlds.
Overall, we've reduces our consumption of meat, in general, and so we've made an effort to make sure the food we do put into our body is of good quality. We are quite fortunate to have a great butcher and fishmonger near us, but we're also aware of the wealth of time we have; no kids, no obligations on the weekends (other than friends and family). Again, by no means are we perfect, but we're taking advantage of the good opportunities we have.
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Ditch the plastic
Sadly, a lot of veggies are stores in plastic even though they don't need to. I hate seeing bananas or lettuce wrapped in plastic and mushrooms in foam cartons, wrapped in saran wrap. We try to limit ourselves to items without packaging and bring our own produce bags along for the loose goods (ie. spinach, carrots, mushrooms...). Check out EverEco! Going to farmers markets help you get to know the season's local fruits and veggies, and the big markets here in Australia have labels to show the local goods.
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Embrace Ikea
Yes, they're plastic, but, chances are, you already have at least one. They're tough and light, so it's easy to bring them along to put your groceries in. I've found it easier to carry one large, heavy bag instead of carrying 5 separate ones. The best part is that they're still $1.
Buy in bulk!
Again, we're so lucky to have a bulk goods store near us, and we're taking advantage of that. We can't help but buy takeout every so often, but that has surprisingly helped us out; hear me out. I used to bring glass, but that gets so heavy once they're filled, but the plastic bins from the takeout splurges are spacious, stackable, and light. Just be sure to weigh them all before you fill them and checkout. Also, if you think it's just flour, beans, and rice, think again! Think honey, detergent, snacks, and more!
Source Bulk Foods
I hope these tips help you all that are starting your journeys toward reducing your waste! For those of you that are seasoned pros, I’d love to hear any tips and tricks you’ve got. Happy shopping, friends!