For a free purchase of plastics from NOW

We have spent years trying to raise awareness that the use of plastic is not recommended at all.

Although from society in general we see more and more plastic. Entering a supermarket is seeing everything wrapped in plastic, so much so that you can get out yourself wrapped.

Supermarkets continue to give us or charge us for shopping bags (which are always plastic and never cardboard) and packaging practically everything with one, two or more plastics. Could it be that they don’t really leave us or is it that we don’t want to?

One of the biggest handicaps is presented to us when making the purchase. I understand that, at first glance, it can be very complicated, but with these tricks that I am going to give you below you will stop “plasticizing” everything at once.

Some things you may not know

• Approximately 1 to 3 million tons of plastic are generated every five minutes worldwide.
• More than 38% of the waste we generate worldwide comes from packing our food in plastic. Fish trays, sausages, bricks , biscuit packages, egg packaging … EVERYTHING comes packaged in plastic and has been happening this way, “without realizing” the repercussion that this would have in the long run.
• If we stopped consuming plastic massively: we would save millions of tons of waste. We would increase the longevity of marine, terrestrial and aerial life. Deforestation would decrease. Our oceans would be much cleaner and we would emit much less CO2.
• On a practical level: we would not have to take out the garbage every day (it seems silly but it is not) and it would increase our ability to solve problems, since we would look for unimaginable solutions to move our products from the purchase, for example.

A purchase without packaging, how is it made?

To start you can leave the supermarket side (except when strictly necessary) and look for your products in local stores , convenience stores, grocery … There is a false myth that these businesses are more expensive. If you check it for yourself you will see that it is not true.

It is a mental and physical effort to make the purchase with your own packaging, I know, but I also know that it is very worthwhile.

At first it is a little “trial, error.” You will fall short in containers or bags. But in the end you will end up being an expert and you will get a great experience and personal satisfaction.

I recommend that you bring your own bags, raffia or some plastic (unfortunately we all accumulate many of them), plastic lunch boxes so they are lighter, glass jars and your own shopping cart.

To bread, bread and nothing else!

If you look closely, many of the bags in which the bread is packed are not only cardboard, but they have plastic in the center so you can see the bar. Something absurd and unsustainable environmentally speaking. The ideal for your loaf or bread rolls is a cloth or cardboard bag , like a lifetime.

Cea bread wrapped in plastic? No no and no. Shop at your local bakery, bring your own cloth (or cardboard if you want) bag and go eat a piece on the way home. Everything else is left over.

Unplasticized vegetables and fruits, thanks

As with bread, you can put your fruits or vegetables in cloth or raffia bags.

To make use of them, use a paper napkin, take it directly by hand or ask the greengrocer staff what you want, but please refrain from using rubber or plastic gloves.

You can also get to the point without plastic

Have you considered buying your legumes in bulk? If you have never done it, I recommend it, because the experience is great. If you can’t find a bulk store near you and you have to go to the supermarket, always try to buy vegetables in cloth bags, cardboard or glass jars.

Lentils, chickpeas and beans are quite “respected” since you will hardly ever find them packed in plastic.

That they put it to egg is easy

The same happens with legumes in the case of eggs . For starters, it is practically impossible for supermarket eggs to taste like free-range eggs, even if your plastic box tells you to.

For this reason, I recommend that you buy them loose in the market or the greengrocer. Recycle your own cardboard and have them put inside. The feeling is completely different and the taste, I won’t tell you!

Sausages without sausage in plastic

It is as simple as going to the delicatessen in your neighborhood or to the market, ordering the grams of cold cuts you need and taking them in your own lunch box (hence its name). Many people use this container to store the plastic packaged lunch in the lunch box in the fridge. If you think about it you will understand the unnecessaryness of the matter.

If you store it directly in the lunch box and close it well you will notice how different its flavor is, since it preserves freshness much better. Needless to say, if possible, this lunch box should be made of glass.

In the case of meat and fish you can do exactly the same. Ask your butcher or fishmonger to store it in the tupper that you carry and so when you get home you can put it directly in the fridge or freezer.

If you look, not buying packaged products is not just a matter of respect for the environment and sustainability, but it is infinitely more practical.

Impossible missions

Here are some products that we will not be able to find without packaging (at least not yet) so in this case, the only thing we can do is: recycle, recycle and recycle.

• Yogurts . Although you can find them in glass containers, it is normal that they come in plastic to save costs and weight.
• Vinegar, soy sauce, preserves : Like yogurts, many of them can be found in glass containers. Try to get hold of these whenever you can. You will notice the difference in taste.

I hope that these tips help you from now on to make the purchase in a closer way, choosing and touching the food as it is and enjoying its flavor in all its splendor.