Eco-Friendly Grocery Shopping Tips
Bringing your reusable tote bags is a great start to more eco-friendly grocery shopping! But if you’re looking for more ways to level up your eco grocery shopping, here are a few tips to help get you started:
Reusable Produce Bags
Ditch plastic produce bags for reusable ones! I like to keep produce bags with the totes I bring with me grocery shopping. But we’re human, sometimes we forget, and that’s okay! If I forget mine I just put the produce right in the basket and wash them extra good when I get home.
Pro Tip: If you do end up grabbing single-use bags, try to reuse them as many times as you can!
Make a Shopping list
Make a list and check it twice! Checking what you already have before you go and getting what you need is a great way to reduce food waste.
Pro Tip: If you buy more than you need (I’ve been there - hello hangry shopping or really good deals I can’t pass up) try to free fruits and veggies before they go bad! Or try storing hacks to help produce last longer like putting carrots and celery in a container with water or storing berries in an air tight jar.
Shop local
Shopping locally helps reduce your carbon footprint. I personally do not shop completely locally but I love picking up some fruits and veggies from my local farmers market! Even if you get a few things locally, that still makes a difference. And I don’t know about you, but farmer’s market produce always seems to taste better!
Refill Stores
I’m so excited to have found a zero waste refill store by me! If you’re in the Bay Area, you have to stop by Replenish Grocers in North Beach San Francisco. It’s so much fun to bring jars I have (finally putting all those pasta sauce jars I saved to good use) and refill it up with dried goods like popcorn, lentils, granola, and spices. Some grocery stores, like Sprouts and WholeFoods, have refill sections too where you can bring your jars or fill up with a paper bag. Whatever it might be, it’s fun to refill your containers and skip the extra packaging waste.
Tote Bag
We all know this one but I had to include it still! Bringing your reusable tote bag is such a great place to start when trying to make your grocery shopping more eco-friendly.
Pro tip: If you have extra tote bags, leave them in the trunk of your car! I also like to leave one in my small backpack I often wear just in case I forget or have an impromptu grocery stop!
I use the Organic Cotton Net Bag (so cute and fits more than I thought!) from Bamboo Switch. They also have a Reusable Produce Bag Set available! Enjoy 10% off with code COURTNEY10.