Introduction
One of the new eco-conscious trends that has made waves online and on social media is the act of waste-free grocery shopping. There have been many attempts by the grocery store giants to sell reusable bags and containers for customers to bring with them to shop so that they don’t use multiple plastic bags unnecessarily. However, people are forgetful, busy, or just plain lazy and a large portion of customers use the plastic bags anyway – because they are readily available. The good news, is that there are a some select grocery stores that have popped up recently that are completely waste-free, including Unboxed Market, located in West Toronto. In this post, we’ll tell you how to go grocery shopping in bulk with no waste, and provide reasons why this is important.
Why should you care?
On your average grocery shopping trip, how many plastic bags do you use to pack your items? What about the produce bags? Or the plastic that most food comes pre-packaged in? It is hard to imagine how many billions of single-use plastic bags are used and discarded daily, even just in North America. It is estimated that one plastic bag takes roughly 1000 years to fully break down into organic matter on land, while many eventually end up on the beach or in the ocean, causing implications for aquatic wildlife (Leblanc, 2018). Although there is an abundance of waste from sources that we (unfortunately) cannot control, there is power in everyone making small adjustments in their lives. The following reasons will give you insight on how these changes can impact your life and the environment – in more ways than one.
Reducing Plastic Waste (Obviously)
It may not seem like you are making any impact at all when you take that trip to the waste-free grocery store, or bring your own bags to a normal one. However, if everyone made these seemingly insignificant changes in their lives, it could become something significant. Plastic has taken over because it is cheap, light, convenient, and allows food products to last longer, but also contributes to nearly a quarter of all the trash that goes to U.S. landfills (Borunda, 2019). If it doesn’t seem realistic that you could remember to buy/bring your own bags and containers to your regular grocery store, take a visit to Unboxed Market where there is no other option! They sell reusable bags and glass jars in 125ml to 1.9L sizes, all for a $2 deposit or purchase (Carlberg, 2019).
Reducing Food Waste
How many times have you had to throw away an unfortunate amount of food at the end of the week because it has gone bad? Many pre-packaged foods come in amounts that are usually too much for the average person to consume before expiration, and there is no way around it. In zero-waste grocery stores such as Unboxed Market, you fill your reusable container with the items you need and none that you don’t, and pay based on weight. This can save a lot of unnecessary food waste and force you to be more conscious of how much you are purchasing (Carlberg, 2019).
Saving Money
One of the main arguments against waste-free shopping is that it is much more expensive than other grocery stores. While this may seem true when scanning your items and seeing that the total is a lot more than what you are used to paying, it can save you money in the long run. As previously mentioned, shopping this way allows you to greatly reduce the amount of food you inevitably waste. As well, with non-perishable items you can shop in bulk, so instead of buying multiple small packs of nuts, grains, seasonings or what not, you can buy more at one time that will last a while – and save on plastic!
Getting Fresher/Organic foods
One of the main reasons that plastic food packaging established its reign over the modern grocery store is because it serves a crucial purpose in preserving perishable food items for much longer than their natural life (Borunda, 2019). This suggests that the products you are getting at some of these grocery stores are probably not the freshest. If the quality of your food is something that you can’t compromise, Unboxed Market has fruits and vegetables that are sourced daily, so that the freshest product is always available and local wherever possible (Unboxed Market, 2019).
Want to learn more on how zero-waste grocery stores help you reduce waste? check out: http://seven.psbdigital.ca/2019/10/10/how-to-reduce-waste-and-support-environmental-sustainability-by-shopping-at-zero-waste-grocery-store/
For more on how to go grocery shopping in bulk with no waste, check out: https://unboxedmarket.com
