Reduce and reuse
Fruit and veg
Not all packaging is bad. Some helps to keep things clean, or make food last longer. A cucumber in plastic will last up to 14 days in the fridge.
A lot of work goes into making packaging that can be recycled now, but lots is still unnecessary. Sliced fruit and pre-cut vegetables seem convenient, but they don’t save much time, and food is often fresher if you prepare it yourself at home.
It’s not hard to use the power of your wallet to make the point that most packaging isn’t really needed. You can just avoid it when you shop.
Many veg-box schemes are a way to avoid the plastic packaging of supermarkets.
Buying from our markets is a great way to avoid packaging. You can keep up to date with upcoming regular markets and specialist artisan markets on their Facebook pages.
Some independent shops and market stalls make being packaging-free a big selling point. You can find some great products to substitute for your everyday shop, but they have some great things for presents too.