Article
Written by Shayne Saxton, Bluegrass PRIDE 866.222.1648
SHOP SMART
You can prevent waste from ever being created by shopping smart at the
grocery store. It’s not magic; it’s Source Reduction. To consumers,
Source Reduction means using smart buying habits to select products
that reduce the amount of waste they dispose. You'll help the
environment and save money too. Shopping smart involves the three
elements of the recycling symbol: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Here are a
few ways you can shop smart.
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Buy products that can be reused, and reuse them.
Purchase second-hand items.
Look for products made from recycled content.
Buy products that you can recycle locally.
Avoid over-packaged products.
Buy in bulk.
Bring your own shopping bag.
Reuse, Reuse, Reuse
Ziploc bags, yogurt containers, and produce bags can all be reused! All
you have to do is clean them out when you are done and voila! You now
can use it over and over. In the end, this simple trick saves you money
on costly items, such as plastic bags and Tupperware containers and at
the same time you are helping the environment!
Recycled Products
A Recycled Product is one produced in whole or part from recycled
material. (Recycled materials are also referred to as post-consumer
materials.) A Recyclable Product can be recycled, but may not have
recycled content. When shopping smart, our goal is to look for the
product that was made with some post-consumer material.
Post-consumer materials are truly recycled because another consumer
has already used them. These products are also easier on the
environment because they take fewer natural resources to produce.
Paper, plastic, and steel products are all recycled to bring you quality
goods. Smart shoppers purchase products with the maximum percentage
of post-consumer materials. Paper towels and napkins, tissues, coffee
filters, greeting cards, writing paper, envelopes, computer paper, copy
paper and most office products, can be found made of post-consumer
materials. Even plastic soft drink bottles, detergent bottles, glass
containers, steel containers, and plastic trash bags can be made of postconsumer content. If your local store does not carry the product, request
that they do. Most stores are more than happy to meet their customer’s
needs.
Over-Packaged Products
From the Styrofoam tray and plastic wrap that may accompany a serving
of grapes, to the plastic and cardboard that bind together serving-sized
cereal boxes, our purchasing decisions directly impact our waste
production. Buying in bulk is one solution to avoid over-packaging.
Cereal, flours, sugar, beans, nuts, oats, rice, and pastas are all foods
that can be bought in bigger containers. Other products, such as paper
towels, detergent, and tissues can also be bought in larger quantities
with less packaging.
Here are a few other ways to save money and avoid over-packaging: Use
a sponge instead of disposable wipes, shave with a razor with reusable
blades instead of a disposable, use cloth napkins instead of paper, buy
rechargeable batteries, and store leftovers in containers rather than in
foil or plastic.
It’s Your Choice
Shopping smart not only benefits you, but also the environment. Next
time you walk out your door to go to the store, grab your shopping bag
and remember these helpful hints that will help you close the loop:
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!