Reduce Packaging

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How to take action

• Take a good look. Opting for less-packaged goods is a habit that may take a bit of time to develop. Start by noticing what the food now in your cupboards came boxed or bagged in. Remember to take a look at your standard purchases the next time you're in the store. Notice those that seem particularly over-packaged (such as crackers in individually wrapped packets or cookies in plastic trays inside paper-and-plastic bags).
• Target some of your most-overpackaged foods for replacement. Seek brands or other options that use less packaging. Seek packaging that is recyclable or biodegradable; try to reduce plastic.
• Take reusable shopping bags to the store so you can avoid receiving disposable shopping bags.
• Avoid buying anything packaged in polystyrene foam (Styrofoam). Styrofoam is manufactured from petroleum and takes hundreds of years to break down in the environment, making it a long-term waste problem. Polystyrene foam is often used for trays for packaged supermarket baked goods and meats. Seek a butcher shop that will wrap your meat in paper; avoid goods that use such trays. Speak with your supermarket manager about the possibility of switching to other options.
• Buy in bulk. Bulk sections usually provide simple packaging – bags or tubs – that often can be reused.
• Avoid single-serving packaged items. If you require single servings (i.e. for packed lunches) buy reusable containers and pack your own servings. This will reduce packaging and likely save you money too.
• Consider options that require less fossil fuel to transport. Full jugs of juice, for example, leave a much larger carbon footprint than frozen concentrated juices, since less water was transported by truck.
• Choose packaging that you are able to recycle. Identify the types of plastic, paper, and other packaging that you can easily recycle and opt for products contained in those. If you can't return or recycle it, try not to buy it.
• Cook from local, whole foods more often. They usually are the least-packaged foods in the store (don't buy fruits and vegetables that are excessively packaged!), and generally the most healthful.

Why it makes a difference

• Every portion of a product we purchase, including its packaging, bears a cost. Excess packaging represents a portion of the money you spend on the product, and it represents a burden on environmental systems to produce, transport, and dispose of it. Buying less-packaged goods reduces our environmental footprint.

For more information

• Learn about health issues related to food packaging.