“Zero waste” is a lifestyle that embraces minimalism; rejects the disposable items that are everywhere in our society; challenges mainstream consumerism; and encourages people to come up with alternative reusable solutions to everyday life.

Food provides sustenance, but unfortunately it also generates trash, especially if the majority of food comes from a grocery store. While packaging is helpful and often necessary for keeping food fresh, uncontaminated, and easy to transport, anyone wanting to reduce their household trash knows what a nightmare it is to see fruits or vegetables all wrapped up in individual plastic bags.

It is possible to reduce your ‘shopping footprint,’ but it requires a little more organization and forethought than conventional shopping. Arrive at the store prepared, with the right equipment, and be ready to get some strange looks, but you’ll thank yourself for it when you get home.

1. Buy reusable cotton produce bags and use them to buy fruits and vegetables.Always choose loose varieties. If you run out of bags, keep produce loose in the shopping cart.

2. Take large glass jars or other reusable containers to the store. Use these wherever an item needs to be weighed. The employee can tare the jar on the scale before filling with whatever cheese, olives, fish, sandwich meat, or deli products you want. Jars with screw-top lids are handy for wet foods.

3. Keep your phone handy in order to record container weights if you’re in a bulk food store. Weigh prior to filling, then refer to your list in order to record the accurate price.

4. Use a solid cloth bag to buy bread and dry bulk items. You can learn how to make your own here!

5. Avoid little things that usually end up in the trash, such as twist-ties, bread tags, plastic code stickers, receipts, and paper lists.

6. Use several large canvas tote bags or a sturdy bin with handles to take your food home. Never accept plastic grocery bags, even if you forget your totes. I always like to challenge myself when I forget to bring my own bags, just to remind myself that I must always travel with a produce bag of some kind.

7. Stash your shopping kit in the car after putting away the groceries so that you never find yourself in that situation, even when making spontaneous purchases. Put them on the front seat so you notice them when leaving the car. Keep a reusable bag in your purse, glove box, backpack or bicycle saddlebag.

8. If you must buy a pre-packaged item, always choose recyclable packaging made of glass, metal, or paper over lower-grade plastic packaging. Keep in mind that plastic is never truly recycled, but rather gets ‘downcycled’ into a lesser form of itself until eventually it ends up landfill; other materials, however, maintain their integrity through recycling. If you do end up using a plastic bag, rinse and reuse.

9. Be prepared to refuse items based on packaging. This can be hard, but that whole packaging combo is a bad idea – and a whole lot of unnecessary trash in your house once that craving is satisfied.

10. All of this is made easier by shopping at stores that support zero waste practices, i.e. bulk food stores that allow reusable containers. My all time favorite place to shop right now is at Nu Grocer. It is the first of it’s kind Zero waste store in Ontario. If you are in the area I highly recommend that you make Nu apart of your grocery routine.

 Welcome to your zero-waste journey, good Luck!