Plastic Packaging of Food

Effective means of reducing your trash 

 

By Bernadette Simpson 

Many of the items on my list of the trash that I (used to) “throw away” were plastic packages for groceries or food items.   Here are a few general tips for buying food with less plastic:   Always buy food in larger-sized packages. REFUSE the single-serving size. This is especially relevant when buying milk, yogurt, nuts, chips and juice boxes. Buying these food and drink items in larger sizes reduces the packaging-to-product ratio, which means you will be “throwing away” less plastic.  

• Buy the 1 ½ liter cartons of milk.
• Buy the largest size of yogurt, at least the 1 kilo container (available from Juhayna, http://www.juhayna.com/en/brands/product/106).
• Buy the 1 liter cartons of juice, not the individual juice boxes.
• Buy your snacks in the largest bags or containers possible.

  If you'll be sending these with children for school lunches, or packing them for your own picnic, you can repackage the food at home into smaller, individual size servings in reusable plastic or metal containers or small glass jars.   Yes, this all means a bit more work on our part, but it means a lot less plastic packaging will end up in our dumpsters (and streets and seas and deserts).   So remember, in this case bigger is better! This is, of course, just the start of how we can reduce out plastic footprint when it comes to food. We'll be exploring many other ideas so check back often.   Refuse ~ Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Recycle Bernadette Simpson is the author of the field guide Wandering through Wadis: A nature-lover’s guide to the flora of South Sinai and An ABC Escapade through Egypt. To learn more about her campaign to reduce disposable plastic, visit: Don't Mess with Dahab Wordpress Blog: http://dontmesswithdahab.wordpress.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dont-Mess-with-Dahab/548828135199063 Twitter: https://twitter.com/DontMessDahab