TIPS for reducing plastic waste!

Hi all! Here are a few super tips that I practice to reduce your consumption of not only plastic, but general single-use items as well!

GROCERY STORE

- Reuseable bags/ Ziplocs- bring these for ALL your groceries! As of July 1, 2018, the City of Victoria has banned offering single-use plastic bags at all businesses (https://www.victoria.ca/EN/main/residents/climate-change/single-use-plastic-bags.html). However, this does not apply to getting items from the bulk section! So, bring Ziplocs/ other lightweight locking bags to fill your boots with nuts, coffee, grains... and you can write the code on your phone or right onto the bag, saving the twist ties as well.

Forgot your reusable plastic bags? No stress! Head on over to produce where you can get a brown paper mushroom bag- fill that with your bulk items and write the code directly on the bag. They are compostable!

- Mason jars/ glasslocks/ tupperware- These can ALL be used for deli items- they can just tare the containers before weighing your fish, pre-made salads, or lunch meat. Here, you'll save plastic baggies and paper wrapping!

- Avoid buying items with excessive plastic- YES. Plastic is everywhere in stores and sometimes unavoidable (like with toilet paper...haven't figured that one out yet...). However! You can actively avoid buying things like packs of juiceboxes or individually wrapped candies or cookies :)

STORING FOOD AT HOME

- Instead of using plastic wrap, try beeswax wraps! They are fantastic, reusable, strong, and made of 100% natural ingredients. These ingredients are typically: 100% cotton, jojoba oil, beeswax, and tree rosin. All you have to do to clean them is wash them in cold water! They form so well around your food in the fridge, too. I bought mine from Goldilocks in Victoria, BC.

COFFEE!!!! (At the coffee shop)

- Bring a reusable mug such as a Contigo!- if you know you'll be grabbing a coffee on the go, come mindfully prepared with your own mug.

- Napkins for treats- if you're grabbing a treat at the shop, ask for it inside of a napkin rather than in a plastic/ wax baggie that will be thrown out immediately after. Afterall, napkins are compostable!

Again...small steps will make a big difference.