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Welcome to the third week of the Plastic-Free Challenge! This week we’ll start with one of the largest sources of single-use plastic products in our lives: food.
We go to the grocery store to buy food, not packaging. While we don't plan to spend our money on things to throw away, that's often what happens when we get a lot of packaging. Today we’ll focus on changes you can make in the store to reduce one of the main sources of single-use plastic entering our homes.
Plan before you shop
Planning is an important part of preventing waste. As you make your meal plan for the week, think about the ingredients for your meals and how you could use fewer or no plastic-packaged items. Many Plastic-Free Challenge participants have enjoyed the challenge of cooking meals with zero plastic waste. Get tips and ideas from the Zero-Waste Chef and Plastic-Free Chef.
Before you go shopping, prepare a kit that includes everything you’ll need, such as reusable bags, produce bags and containers for bulk items. Reuse something you already have or make your own bags before buying them new (look online for simple sewing patterns and no-sew options).
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Pay attention to packaging inside the store
Once you’re in the store, pay attention to the packaging that comes with the food you buy. Here are some options to avoid or reduce packaging:
- See if you can buy an item in a different brand or size to get packaging you can recycle.
- Buy fruits and vegetables loose instead of pre-bagged, and put them in reusable produce bags you brought from home.
- Get snacks in a family-size bag or container rather than individually wrapped.
- When you run out of plastic wrap, wax paper, and plastic baggies, don’t buy them again. Replace them with reusable alternatives instead.
- Learn how to buy items from the bulk section using your own containers. Check out this video on How to Shop In Bulk from challenge partner, Tare Market.
 Change where you shop or make your own
If you’re running out of plastic-free options where you normally shop, you might consider visiting somewhere new to stock up on plastic-free essentials! Search for a nearby co-op grocery store, stop by a zero-waste store such as Tare Market or Evergreen Collective, visit local farmers’ markets, or sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscription.
Evergreen Collective is offering a discount for Plastic-Free Challenge participants! Mention the code PlasticFreeFebruary for 10% off one purchase of refills during the month of February.
If you love to cook, you might try to make some of your own prepared items, such as condiments, soups, or breads. Mustards, pesto, hot sauce, vinaigrettes, and salsas have relatively simple recipes and don’t require too much time to make from scratch. Even making homemade pasta isn't too complex. It also freezes well!
One tip to buying less plastic packaging: If something you just can’t live without only has highly packaged options, consider it more of a treat than something you routinely buy.
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Take action
To reduce the amount of plastic packaging waste you bring home from the grocery store, choose the following actions related to today's content in the food category:
- Buy unpackaged produce
- Shop the bulk bins
- Cook meals with zero plastic waste
- Swap the snacks
- Ditch the baggies
- Make your own
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Leaving room for failure
We’re halfway through the challenge, which means you’ve hopefully had some success in reducing and avoiding plastics. But what if you find yourself slipping into old habits or discover an action just isn’t working for you?
People find it easiest to stick to their established habits and routines, especially when we have many competing priorities. Just remember that making mistakes or slip-ups is a part of making change! If you’ve made some progress toward a goal then find yourself failing at it, take time to reflect:
- Think about what changes to your routine helped you start and what caused you to backslide.
- Identify a few strategies to make the new habit stick, such as a prompt or other reminder.
- Modify or choose a new action if you find your first choice wasn’t realistic.
For example, maybe you set a goal to use a shampoo bar but are finding you don’t like the results. You could adjust and reduce packaging in a different way by trying bulk liquid shampoo instead.
Share your experience and ask for advice
Use your fellow teammates and Plastic-Free Challenge participants as a resource! You can use the feed for troubleshooting your actions or for tips and general advice. Go to your dashboard to read updates from everyone, your team, or actions like yours.
Plastic-Free Challenge at Mercado Central
Thursday, February 22 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Mercado Central, 1515 E Lake Street, Minneapolis
Come to the dining court at Mercado Central for a basic overview of plastics and to hear from local Lake Street business owners about what sustainability means to them as well as what they are doing to reduce plastic use. Presentation and conversation will be primarily in Spanish.
Thank you to our many organizational partners for helping promote and engage participants for this challenge. Today we want to give special thanks to Seward Community Co-op, Eastside Food Co-op, Tare Market, and Evergreen Collective. These businesses help people reduce their plastic use by providing options for customers to buy package-free foods and find plastic-free home goods, cleaning, and personal care items.
Friday, February 2: Tips for getting started with the challenge
Monday, February 5: The problem with plastics
Wednesday, February 7: Types of plastics
Friday, February 9: Effectiveness of plastics recycling
Monday, February 12: Going plastic-free with your family
Wednesday, February 14: Reducing plastic in your wardrobe
Friday, February 16: Plastic-free pets, your other children
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