Plastic-Free Shopping: Is it Possible?

What does the month of July mean to you? If you’re in the northern hemisphere, you probably think about summer vacations, warm weather, and long hours of daylight (if you’re far enough north).

You may or may not also be aware of “Plastic-Free July.” Even though July is more than half over, there is still time to embrace the concept.

The idea behind Plastic-Free July is to avoid buying single-use plastics for an entire month. As you may suspect, it is not a simple task.

The Shopping List

Earlier this month, I challenged myself to complete a single grocery shopping trip without bringing home any disposable plastic packaging. The first step? Examine the shopping list.

Mushrooms? Good—I can buy the loose ones and put them in a paper bag.

Tomatoes? Good—I can bring in a plastic produce bag from home or grab a paper one from the mushroom area.

Corn on the cob? Good—it doesn’t need any packaging since it’s got its own.

Beans? Good—those come in recyclable metal cans.

Chicken? Problem—it all comes in plastic.

I decided to change the menu. Instead of making risotto with boneless chicken breast, I would make a vegetarian version. Scratch chicken from the list.

Back when I was a graduate student living on a small stipend and paying over half of my monthly income for rent, I needed to keep to a strict budget. I quickly learned that going vegetarian was an easy way to cut expenses. Thirty years ago—yikes, has it really been that long—the plastic packaging aspect didn’t occur to me.

I could go vegetarian again, but my family members wouldn’t like that arrangement. And I would miss fish if I became completely vegetarian.

Still, I often make meatless dinners. But those tend to contain dairy products, which brings me to the rest of the shopping list. The vegetarian risotto includes Parmesan cheese. Cheese in the grocery store, whether from the fancy cheese department or the deli aisle, comes wrapped in plastic. So much for my goal not to buy any plastic packaging.

The Podcast

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with PJ Beaven for a guest appearance on their podcast, Zoo-Notables. We discussed Plastic-Free July, and PJ mentioned swearing off cheese for the entire month to avoid plastic packaging. I felt guilty for having just bought a chunk of Parmesan.

But PJ and I emphasized that Plastic-Free July doesn’t require perfection. If you want to become vegan for a month, great. If you or your family members aren’t willing to do that, you haven’t failed. You can still buy cheese but reduce the amount of disposable plastic by storing the opened cheese in a reusable container instead of plastic wrap or a zip-top baggie.

We can all make choices a step at a time. Is that enough? Maybe not, but it is better than doing nothing. We can vote with our wallets when we choose what to buy.

The bigger problem is at the grocery stores. Plastic packaging has exploded in recent decades. Yes, it is more convenient. Pre-packaged salads and plastic containers of pre-cut fruits and vegetables may encourage people who don’t want to spend time in the kitchen to eat healthier foods. But I wish that there were a better way.

The grocery shopping trip I mentioned earlier took place at a store owned by Kroger, one of the big conglomerates. Smaller natural foods stores or co-ops often offer more options for buying food with less packaging. The website litterless.com keeps a running list of stores in every state that offer bulk food bins and other package-free choices. Depending on where you live, however, there might not be a nearby store available.

I don’t always shop at conventional grocery stores. Even at my local PCC Market, though, plastic abounds. And I’m still waiting for them to lift the temporary prohibition against customers bringing in refillable containers. It is, however, easier to find plastic-free options than at major grocery chains. Pre-packaged deli items come in compostable containers that I can toss into my curbside yard waste bin.

Just as certified organic food has spread from a niche for hippies to something available in the largest grocery store chains in the US, so can minimal or alternative packaging. But the stores will not switch their buying practices without pressure from customers.

Customer pressure is already building, but we can do more. We can send a message to grocery store chains letting them know what we want to see.

Are you a customer of Whole Foods? I invite you to follow my lead and write to them at customer.care@wholefoods.com asking them to get rid of plastic packaging.

Writing this blog post was the push I needed to finish the email to Whole Foods that had been sitting in my drafts folder.

I received what I presume is a cookie-cutter reply that said they will share my feedback. The reply email also stated, “We recognize that reducing single-use plastics is a major industry challenge and we continue to actively explore opportunities for further reductions in partnership with our suppliers and industry experts.”

I’m happy to share the text of my letter if you want to copy or adapt it. Just contact me and I’ll send it your way.