Zero waste living is something that has been popping up in the media a lot more lately. Living waste free can seem like an impossible and daunting feat but even just setting a challenge of living without plastic for a week or minimising the amount that ends up in our bins can make a huge difference. We have become sooooo dependent on single use plastics that too often we don't consider the impact of out short-term convenience and both marine and bird life are suffering as a result. A common misconception is that recycling soft plastics is sufficient but we are still creating demand for unnecessary packaging and a lot of energy is required to re purpose it. Recycling is great, but not using plastic in the first place is the best thing we can do. I am still a long way from being plastic-free - my pantry is filled with the stuff - so I visited a wholefood store called The Source Bulk Foods which is entirely free of single-use plastics.
I brought some tote bags and some empty mason jars from the pantry. The staff weighed the jars and put a tab of masking tape with the weight on top which was the only 'waste' from the whole shopping tip. The Source Bulk Foods was filled with containers of edible products such as grains, nuts, dried fruits, teas, honeys and also products such as shampoo, dish washing liquids and tooth brushes. The only things they didn't have were fresh fruits and veggies (but I already have a vegggie patch and grocery store nearby with local produce), dairy and products like toilet paper and tissues. There were also nut butter machines and kombucha by the tap.
The pricing is calculated by weight and was overall pretty reasonable. Products like the dish washing powder and nuts were about the same price as those found in a super market whereas the teas and snacks were a bit more expensive as they were often organic or contained more expensive ingredients. The products which had premium price tags were ones that aren't stocked in the typical supermarket such as beetroot powder or pink pitaya powder.
I bought a biodegradable tooth brush, some nuts, dried fruits, tea and snacks all of which would usually use plastic. The experience was actually really fun and shopping plastic free is definitely something I want to make more of a routine.
If you're curious about zero waste I recommend having a browse online for some ideas. Pinterest is fantastic (you can find my ethical products board here) and there are many amazing bloggers out there (you can try this, this and this if you don't know where to start). If you have any tips or ideas about reducing waste please leave them in the comments below xx