Have you realised how much plastic do you use?

Meat, milk, cheese, bread, cookies, rice, pasta, sauce, nuts, tuna, cleaning articles, and vegetables...EVERYTHING comes in a package. Because of the current system in which we get our food, supermarkets need to handle huge quantities of food and products, and is easier if they come individually packed (also cleaner). However, there are many options that big companies can use to transport their products. The dutch chain Ekoplaza is the first supermarket to sell Plastic free products, and most of them come in paper package or glass. These are nice initiatives that motivates the consumer to buy less plastic.

Although in the Netherlands there is a big culture of recycling, and you can actually find special recycling bins to separate your waste: plastic, glass, paper, clothes and organics (and surely you can find more), I realised that there is still a very high consumption of plastic-packaged products. So I decided to go plastic-free during one week, to test how difficult it was,and I tried to buy my groceries with the least plastic package as possible. Here in this post, I want to share my experience.

My first day shopping plastic-free...it was quite a disaster. I only managed to get my fruits and vegetables in reusable cloth bags. The rest, if it was not in a carton box, it was in a plastic package: bread, chicken, meat and even the milk (with the small plastic lid). A bit annoyed after spending extra minutes trying to find products without a plastic package, I decided I could make some of the things I wanted to buy: cookies, hazelnut spread, granola, brownies. But for this, I would need some extra cooking time after going to the supermarket.

My second day of shopping, I decided to go to another store. "Maybe this one has more options, or is more environmental conscious..." Well, after 10 minutes of not being able to find anything that wasn't packaged, I decided to leave, and try in another place...it was very frustrating.

I started thinking, how is it possible to eat something that doesn't come in plastic! I was feeling so guilty after shopping because I knew I was not getting much done about my target. But then I realised that is not about completely excluding plastic packaging from my groceries. Is about being conscious of the products I buy, and being patient to find the best fit. Of course, when I can avoid it, I won't buy plastic-packed products. For example, whenever I want something sweet, like cookies, cake or granola, I try to do it myself at home. I have the base ingredients (mostly in plastic-free packaging or glass containers), and then I spend one hour trying new recipes. Other thing I am doing is to reuse the containers I have, either plastic or glass (see photos below). Going to the farmer's market on the weekend is the best option to buy fruits, vegetables and nuts. I am doing it every Saturday and I always ask kindly to the vendor to pack my fruits in my own cloth bags.

I have also started being more aware about the procesess around me: Which supermarkets are conscious about reducing plastic-use and waste in general? Which company is in charge of gathering and recycling the products we as comsumers separate, and what do they do with them? I was able to find incredible initiatives here in Rotterdam, and got inspired to continue my plastic-free journey. It is not an easy path to follow, because as I said in the beginning, the whole supply chain is based on producing (plastic) waste. But if you as a consumer have the chance and power to reduce that waste, and actually have an impact on the environment, isn't it worth it?

I invite you all to think better the next time you go to a supermarket...how can you reduce your plastic consumption and how to create a habit out of this?

*If you are curious about my findings in Rotterdam, please send me a message where I can share more information!