Ways to Help Reduce your Waste and a Simple Food Haul

After watching Plastic Ocean on Netflix it really made me think about plastic and how its causing a big problem, that no one notice.

Have you ever thrown away a plastic bag or a wrapper and thought about, Where does all this plastic go? Some will get recycled (If you put in the recycle bin) but most of the plastic that was once in your kitchen will end up in the ocean.

Billons of pounds of plastic can be found swirling in the ocean. 80 percent of pollution enters the ocean from the land.

Easy was to reduce your plastic waste

1. Stop buying bottled water

The best way to reduce your plastic waste is to stop buying water bottles. No one is perfect so if there is some kind of emergency and you have to buy one then thats okay but try to refill the bottle water as much as you can before throwing it away.

Alternatives to bottled water

• Hydro flask or any reusable water bottle

• Glass bottle

• Get a water filter at home so you don't have to buy bottle water

2. Bring your own bags

The biggest problem is plastic bags. Bringing your own reusable bags is the best way to cut down your waste. But if you forgot your reusable bags don't worry, Just ask the cashier if they can put your food in paper bags. Almost every grocery store has paper bags to offer. When shopping in the produce section look around to see the loose items. A lot of the time apples, potatoes, avocados, etc.. will be package free. So go with the loose items, most of the time it will be a good deal.

Alternatives to plastic bags

• Paper bags

• Farmer markets. I love shopping at the farmer market because I know its locally grown and mostly package free. Also shopping at the farmer market will not only help you reduce waste but also save you some money.

• Earth junky reusable produce bags. I recently got these bags and I’m IN LOVE with them. They come with different sizes which is great when your buying various of sizes.

• Canvas market bags

3. Say no to straws

Straws are the one thing people don't realize that is causing damage to our oceans. The next time you go to a restaurant or a bar opt out the straws. You can even bring your own stainless or bamboo straw. Sometimes the waitress/waiter will already have the straw in the cup, Just make sure next time when ordering your drink ask nicely to not put straw in your cup.

Alternatives to straws

• Bamboo, glass, or stainless straw

• No straw

Reduce your waste without a bulk food store

Where I live we unfortunately don't have a bulk store near me. We have the typical ShopRite, Stop and Shop etc... It can be really hard to find stuff that aren't packaged. But I worked around this situation and made the best of it.

1. Buy foods in bulk bags

I’m not perfect and sometimes I will buy plastic package items. For example I buy lentils and quinoa in plastic bags but I buy them in bulk bags because instead of buying 2 small plastic bags of lentils which causing more landfill I buy them in bigger bags. This will save me money and also last for a while so I don't have to keep on buying grains in smalls bags.

2. Buy items in cardboard or glass.

This is easy to do when you don't have a bulk store near you. You can get pasta in cardboard with compostable plastic. Other things that can you find in cardboard are almond milk or milk (if your vegan try making your own nut milk out of almonds, cashews, etc. You can buy nuts in bulk)

Glass packaging is more common now you can buy soups, sauces, drinks, nut butters, and the list go on.

3. Go to a farmer market near you

Like I said earlier I LOVE the farmer market because most of the items will be package FREE and its all locally grown which taste better. Going to farmer markets will not only save you money and waste but its also supporting a local farmer.

Vegan Gluten Free Grocery Haul

This is a simple food haul. I will usable buy some produce here and there throughout the week. Every 2-3 weeks I will bulk up on grains like lentils, quinoa, beans, pasta, etc So I don't buy them every week.