Black Country Rubbish Challenge

Supermarket Shopping

Supermarket shopping has become a way of life for most people. It is an easy way to get everything you need for you and your family. There are many things that you can take into consideration when doing your regular shop that will not only help minimise rubbish and help the environment but will save you time and money. Keep the number of trips you make to the supermarket to a minimum, you will not only be saving time and fuel but you will be polluting the atmosphere less. Make a visit to a bottle, can or other type of recycling bank part of your routine so you don’t have to make a special journey. Most supermarkets have recycling facilities so don’t forget to drop before you shop!

There tends to be a lot of rubbish generated from shopping at the supermarket and there are many ways that we can reduce it. Most rubbish minimisation ideas are simple, low cost, no cost solutions. If we just think about what we buy we will help the environment without any extra cost or inconvenience. When you shop make a shopping list so you buy only what you need and so avoid buying unnecessary items with all that extra packaging. Avoid convenience foods with layers of packaging they are equally as bad for the environment as they are for your health and fresh produce is far less expensive.

Even from a convenience point of view, shrink-wrap is not quite what it seems. It may seem easier to buy apples pre-wrapped in a pack of four or six but if you think about it the wrapping is completely pointless, you only have to do battle with them when you get home to set them free. You can select the best when you buy them loose and avoid all that packaging that just clogs up our dustbins. Some people think they taste better loose - try them and see what you think. So when it comes to fruit & vegetables, make a point of buying them with no clothes on. Wherever possible buy items in bulk such as toilet rolls, washing powder and potatoes, these items work out to be cheaper and have the added advantage of having less packaging than if you bought them in smaller quantities.

Buy refills, many cleaning products are available as refills and again you are cutting down on the packaging and they do tend to be cheaper. Try reusable alternatives to throw away items such as razors you will save money in the long run. Look out for recycled products such as toilet paper, kitchen towels and bin bags, they are generally no more expensive than other products and you will be showing your support for recycling. All of these things will take very little effort or change on your part and if everybody  took these kind of considerations it would have a huge impact upon the environment.
 
Plastic carrier bags have become an inevitable part of the high street shopping experience. A staggering 150,000,000 are used in the UK every week. And each one takes up to 500 years to rot away in a landfill site. Don’t throw plastic bags away, take them with you the next time you go shopping. Most supermarkets all offer their customers bags for life. These harder-wearing bags last longer and the supermarket will replace worn-out ones. Use a canvas shopping bag whenever you can. Unlike plastic bags, they won’t split apart or dig into your hands when you’re loaded down and they will obviously last loads longer.