Plastic-free July: Grocery shopping for the environment

Plastic-free July: Grocery shopping for the environment

It’s Plastic Free July. We love challenging ourselves to reduce the amount of single-use plastic we bring home, and it’s also a fun and educational game to play with the kids. 

In 2021, Greenpeace released a Supermarket Plastics Ranking report, highlighting that supermarkets are where the average consumer encounters the most throwaway plastics. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the problem worse in an effort to minimise the risk of virus exposure. This resulted in a 30% increase in plastic waste in 2020 alone. We now know that reusables are actually safe and should continue to be encouraged!

You can run through the creative exercise below with the kids to help them learn about the importance of saying no to single-use plastics, and bring them along on the Plastic Free July journey! You can even set up a drawing activity so each child can creatively express their values. 

Ask: What’s your motivation for doing the right thing for the environment? Why is it important to you? 

Some ideas to explore: 

• Protecting marine life
• Reducing rubbish
• Reducing my eco-footprint
• Wasting less 

Ask: What can we do to bring home less single-use plastic when we do the shopping? How can you help to make a difference?

Some ideas to explore: 

• Choose to refuse pre-packed groceries, including fruit, vegetables, bread, meat, fish, pantry staples and deli items
• Bring our own reusable bags, containers and empty glass jars to the shops
• Visit our local farmers market, bulk food store, bakery, butcher and fishmonger
• If we didn’t bring a bag, look for paper bag options 

Ask: What’s our potential impact? What are we helping to change through our actions?

Some ideas to explore: 

• Reduce the pressure on our recycling system
• Reduce unnecessary waste and pollution
• Save plastic bags from entering our waterways and landfill
• Avoid food waste by only buying what we need 
• Protect wildlife from encountering our used plastics 

Which is the best reusable bag to use? The one you already have lying around at home! You don’t need any fancy new bags - most of us already have a few hidden in our linen cupboards or closets that can be dusted off and given a new life as a grocery bag. You can also use an empty box to bundle up your groceries.

Colleen’s Tip: Don’t worry about looking like a granny! Use a pull-along trolley or bag, they come in brilliant colours and designs, even funky ones. You can fit plenty in, plus no plastic or extra packaging required, they fit in most vehicles and you decant into your pantry or fridge as soon as you get home!

How you care for and store your produce makes a huge difference to food waste. Fresh produce lasts up to 5x longer with ourFruit & Veg Wash. 

Happy Plastic Free July. The future is in reuse!