What’s the problem?
Everyone says “you need to reduce packaging waste”. Frankly, it’s a problem. When you buy something, it arrives covered in plastic packaging which then ends up in the bin. Or if you order online, it arrives in this massive box stuffed with tonnes of plastic and paper. That is a problem. All that excess packaging ends up in landfills, damaging the environment and taking forever to decompose. Not to mention that it is quite wasteful.
Scary statistics
- 200kg of packaging waste is generated per person per year.
- Plastic waste we generate increases by 9% every year
- Less than 50% of our packaging waste is recycled
- 40% of all plastic packaging goes to landfills and 14% gets incinerated
- There is more plastic in our oceans than sea life. Plastic outnumbers sea life by 6 to 1
* Incineration creates the most CO2 emissions among the plastic waste management methods
Earth damaging statistic
Throwaway plastic packaging makes up 40% of the demand for plastic, fuelling a boom in production from 2m tonnes in the 1950s to 380m tonnes in 2015. By the end of 2015, 8.3bn metric tonnes of plastic had been produced – two-thirds of which has been released into the environment and remains there – The Guardian
How to reduce packaging waste?
There are many ways to reduce packaging waste, but here are 3:
- Buy wholesale and store. Use as needed
- Buy in smaller amounts from a zero waste store
- Do a combination of the above 2 options
Now both these options have their own limitations and problems.
Buying wholesale
If you buy wholesale, you need a fair amount of space to store and you need a bigger chunk of upfront money to buy.
There will be some packaging waste even you buy in bulk, but it will definitely be lower than buying from your supermarket with your regular shop.
Also, there are some wholefoods stores where they would send bulk items in large paper bags rather than plastic bags. Always check with the company before ordering.
Refill shop
When it comes to refill shops, they are fantastic in a lot of ways, but it might mean a separate trip to the shops (unless they deliver like milk & more or Able & Cole) and it might cost a bit more than regular supermarket.
But in the long run, you will realise you get better quality ingredients and you would have reduced your carbon foot print.
How do I reduce packaging waste?
As a family, we use both options. We are lucky to have storage space – so we buy certain things in bulk. For other items, we shop at refill shops where we take our own containers.
- We as a family use a lot of oats. So rather than buy Oats almost every week, we buy a 20kg bag of Oats instead and store it. Oats comes in a large paper sack and no plastic packaging and works out cheaper. So win-win.
- When it comes to dishwashing liquid, hand soaps, shampoo etc – we go to the refill shop. We take our old bottles and get it refilled as and when we need it. We get cruelty free, fragrance free, made without harsh chemical products without any packaging to boot. We could buy this wholesale too, but unfortunately, they come in large plastic bottles.
- For fruit & vegetables, we buy whatever we can get packaging free from our local supermarket. If we find the time, then we go to our local street market and take our own containers and bags.
Your next steps
Assess what you buy already and see what can be refilled. A lot of things can be refilled – but your local shop will tell you what they stock and what they don’t. So, do that look up your nearest refill shop. I have put some links below that would help you find your local refill shop.
Google Maps – https://www.google.co.uk/maps/search/zero+waste+shop+in+UK/@52.2467253,-3.1628262,7z/data=!3m1!4b1
This is a directory of zero waste shops in the UK. UK Directory of Zero Waste Shops – Eco Thrifty Living
isifiso – We sell all our reusable products with minimal packaging and packed with recycled paper & plastic free tape
