Vote with your wallet !

Want to reduce your plastic footprint and send a message about food packaging at the very same time?   Use your wallet!  And when a sustainable option is not available – speak up and request it!

The above example shows three ways to buy fresh apples. 

Option one is plastic intensive – apples in a plastic clamshell that is not recyclable in most parts of the world. 

Why? The thin and lightweight plastic can’t be easily sorted, and often have hard-to-remove labeling that contaminates the otherwise valuable PET plastic they are made from. 

(A recycling symbol does not mean that your local recycler actually can recycle something.  That will depend on its sorting equipment, its markets, and the cleanliness of the item.)

The middle option shows a thin plastic polyethylene produce bag that in many countries can be returned to the store for recycling.

The final option shows reusable bags – an option that should become available again as Covid restrictions loosen. 

Many Farmers Markets already allow customers to bring their own bags, and this solution is the most sustainable.

So vote with your wallet and send a message about the importance of having sustainable produce packaging options. 

When fiber-based or reusable options are not available, be sure to let store personnel know that you tried to find it and couldn’t, and that packaging is important to you when choosing what and where to buy!