In conjunction with my recent post Zero Waste Grocery Shopping, I want to follow up with a post regarding what I actually buy that is still in packaging. If you’ve seen my monthly trash jars, you know that I put a small amount of packaging into the landfills each month. I still, however, have items that I purchase in recyclable packaging that don’t end up in the trash can but do end up in the recycling bin.
Pause here for a minute – the zero waste movement is not just a movement focusing on the trash we put into landfills. It also emphasizes a reduction on the need for a recycling system. The reason for this is quite complicated but basically boils down to the fact that recycling systems are inconsistent, unreliable, and still use a lot of energy to achieve. Plastic is especially bad when it comes to “recycling” as usually it is down cycled into items that can’t then be recycled again.
That is why I am working on not only keeping my trash production low but reducing my recycling as well. I have created this list to help me identify the things in my house that I continue to buy with packaging that end up either as garbage or recycled. As time goes on, I hope to revisit this list and slowly cross off items for ones that I have found alternatives for.
So let’s take a look at what I still buy in packaging! All of the items here I have bought within the last six months (but not necessarily regularly).
Plastic:
Gluten-Free Bread
Ketchup
Homemade Apple Juice
Pesto
Vegetable Bullion
Cheese
Rice Cakes
Ground Beef
Coconut Milk
Vegan Butter
Cereal
Coconut Yogurt
Toilet Paper
Dish Washer Soap
NyQuil
Ibuprofen
Cough Drops
Vitamins
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Floss
Witch Hazel
Glass:
Juice
Jam
Mayonnaise
Pesto
Pasta Sauce
Cow’s Milk
Caramel Sauce
Salad Dressing
Alcohol
Coconut Oil
Shea Butter
Essential Oils
Probiotics
Vitamins
Salve
Metal:
Canned Soup
Canned Beans
Canned Olives
Paper/Wax Cardboard:
Eggs
Bread
Ice cream
Soy Milk
Lactose Free Half and Half
Dessert Pies
Do you know an alternative to something I have been purchasing in packaging? Or have a question about why I still choose to buy some things in plastic? I'd love to hear from you!