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LessWasteAn evidence-based archive of everyday plastic waste
Shopping6 min read

How to grocery shop with less plastic

You will not eliminate packaging at a supermarket. You can cut it roughly in half with a handful of habits.

Canvas tote bag spilling carrots, lemons, bread and mesh produce bags onto a stone counter.

The supermarket is engineered around plastic. Pre-packed produce, multi-pack snacks, single-serve drinks — convenience is built on a packaging substrate. A zero-plastic shop is not realistic at most chains. A half-plastic shop usually is.

Five habits that compound

  • Shop the perimeter first. Loose produce, the deli, the bakery — most of the unpackaged food sits at the edges of the store.
  • Bring mesh produce bags. Five of them weigh nothing and replace 10–15 single-use bags per shop.
  • Buy concentrated. A small bottle of concentrate plus tap water replaces several pre-mixed bottles.
  • Choose glass and aluminium where they cost the same — both recycle near-infinitely.
  • Skip the single-use water. A refillable bottle pays for itself in about a fortnight.
“The household that cuts the most plastic is not the most disciplined — it is the one that made the swap once and never thought about it again.”

Sources

  1. Single-Use Plastics: A Roadmap for SustainabilityUnited Nations Environment Programme · 2018 · UNEP
  2. The Global Commitment 2023 Progress ReportEllen MacArthur Foundation & UN Environment Programme · 2023 · Ellen MacArthur Foundation
  3. Recyclability and Redesign Challenges in Multilayer Flexible Food Packaging — A ReviewBauer, A.-S. et al. · 2021 · Foods
  4. Social life cycle assessment of drinking water: Tap water, bottled mineral water and tap water treatment systemsGarfí, M., Requejo-Castro, D. & Villanueva, C. · 2025 · Environmental Impact Assessment Review
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