Buy food in bulk
- Earth Points
- 3
- Ease
- Medium
Description
Almost all the food we consume comes in some form of packaging. While this is difficult to completely avoid, the cost of our current system is adding up. For example, each year 8 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans, with 40 percent of it coming from packaging, putting a significant strain on the aquatic ecosystem. Plastic is not the only culprit. However, it is a bad offender, given how long it takes plastic to decompose.
Modern food packaging is produced using a range of mostly synthetic materials, each consuming resources like energy, water, chemicals, petroleum, minerals, wood and fibers to be produced. Its production generates greenhouse gases, heavy metals, and particulates, as well as wastewater and sludge containing toxic contaminants.
One step to address this problem is buying in bulk to limit the amount of packaging used. While this action alone will not completely eliminate the problem, taking it collectively reduces the volume created each year. Purchasing in bulk also has the added benefit of saving you money.
Tips
• Start simple at your local grocery store and try to buy non-perishables items in the largest container available while avoiding individually wrapped items. This will reduce the cost and waste per unit.
• Identify the bulk food store closest to you and walk the aisles. You will be surprised how many household items are sold without extra unnecessary packaging.
• Make a list of all the things that you use consistently and label reusable containers for storage to make things even easier. This can be done for everything from spices to pasta. Glass containers are a nice stylish and practical option for storage.
• Start simple at your local grocery store and try to buy non-perishable items in the largest container available while avoiding individually wrapped items. This will reduce the cost and waste per unit.
• Identify the bulk food store closest to you and walk the aisles. You will be surprised how many household items are sold without extra unnecessary packaging.
• Make a list of all the things you use consistently and label reusable containers for storage to make things even easier. This can be done for everything from spices to pasta. Glass containers are a stylish and practical storage option.
• Some bulk food stores allow you to order online and create a standard order with the quantities that fit into your containers. Short of that, you can have a list on your computer that you can reference before you leave your home.
• Will you be perfect? No, there are times when that extra packaging is helpful. However, you will likely find that avoiding it when you can will improve your life and save you some nice money. • Will you be perfect? No, there are times when that extra packaging is helpful. However, you will likely find that avoiding it when you can will improve your life and save you some nice money.
Additional Resources
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/05/plastics-facts-infographics-ocean-pollution/#:~:text=40%20percent%20of%20plastic%20produced,just%20once%20and%20then%20discarded.&text=CALIFORNIA%2C%20SANTA%20BARBARA-,40%20percent%20of%20plastic%20produced%20is%20packaging,just%20once%20and%20then%20discarded.
- https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/containers-and-packaging-product-specific-data#C&POverview
- https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution
- https://foodprint.org/issues/the-environmental-impact-of-food-packaging/
- https://energyminute.ca/newsletter/9950b7db6a/recycling-a-modern-tragedy?gclid=Cj0KCQjwk8b7BRCaARIsAARRTL7g2f5JBZnTKpahEa3i0DNnIje5i2JLoX8RlmcqtWfpEOaKMCqLkAAaAtryEALw_wcB
