Grocery shopping is perhaps the first thing most people have in mind when they think about reducing plastic waste. It is everywhere in supermarkets and very difficult to avoid when buying food. I am going to list the shops and outlets I have found useful on my journey. There are also few things that I have given up buying on a regular basis for example crackers and biscuits and try to make them myself if I want them for a special occasion.
Dry foods
I get the majority of dry foods loose and bring my own containers to refill. There are a few options for buying loose produce in my areas and more are popping up. The ones I have tried are Mission Green in Hither Green, Jay's Budgens in Crofton Park and Two Girls Cafe in Peckham. There is also a new shop opening in Forest Hill and one in Lee that has been open for a while but I have never been.
Mission Green in Hither Green has a really good range of foods and you can bring your own containers to be refilled. Staff is always helpful and friendly. From here I buy:
- rice (long grain and Arborio)
- pearl barley
- dried fruits (dates, figs, apricots and banana chips)
- porridge oats
- muesli
- granola
- different types of lentils
- nuts
- cleaning liquids (I will write a separate post about this)
They have many more products, check their Facebook page for details.
Jay's Budgens in Crofton Park has also got some good loose options, although not as much variety. I do tend to stop here sometimes as it is closer to me. They have:
- pearl barley
- couscous
- different types of lentils
- seeds and nuts (they do a lovely seed mix that I use to make bread)
- dried fruits
- snacks (chocolate coated raisins and savoury snacks)
Flour and sugar come in paper bags from the super market. We try to buy salt in cardboard boxes from the supermarket also.
We buy pasta by Barilla. It comes in card boxes with a small plastic window which can be removed before recycling. I know they sell some varieties without the plastic window in Italy but I have never found them in the UK.
At the moment I buy yeast in a metal tin with plastic lid as I haven't found a good alternative. I recycle or use the tin if I can. I use the yeast very regularly to bake bread. Please comment if you have suggestions.
fresh fruit and vegetables
You can buy most fruit and vegetables loose at the supermarket however there are some things that are always wrapped in plastic, such as celery. I have made some cotton bags out of old clothes that I use when shopping in a super market for fresh fruit and vegetables. Sometimes the cashier doesn't understand what it is but usually they're OK once I explain. As the bags are very light they can still weigh the produce at the till with no problems.
At the moment, we don't shop much for fresh produce at the supermarket as we signed up to receive a fruit & veg box each week with Oddbox. The variety is good and it is seasonal and locally sourced whenever possible. Size and aesthetics of the food may vary but the whole point is to tackle food waste so we are happy with that. Most Oddbox fruit and veg is plastic free, mushrooms or small fruits come in paper bags. However, sometimes leaf salad is bagged in plastic.
When receiving salads and celery not wrapped in plastic, I have found that placing them in the fridge in a large mug of water maintains them fresh for a really long time without the need for any plastic.
Dairy and eggs
We get most of our dairy delivered by Milk & More plastic free. Milk comes in glass bottles which are collected and sterilised to be reused. For those in our house who don't have dairy we make vegan milk out of almonds, oats and dates for sweetness. We have a vegan milk making machine which takes 30 seconds to whizz the ingredients and filter out the pulp. It is a very useful tool which avoids unnecessary waste from packaging. We reuse glass bottles to store it in the fridge.
Butter is much trickier. I have heard that Marks and Spencers do a salted butter in paper but haven't managed to try it yet. I try to get sticks of butter rather than spreadable versions as it still contains much less plastic in the packaging. For vegan butter alternatives we haven't found a solution so we still buy it in plastic tubs.
Milk & More also sell River Cottage yoghurt. It in a glass jar with metal lid which I often reuse for dry foods as it is a really good size and the label comes off really easily. La Crèmerie sell a dairy free rice yoghurt also in a glass jar and I some times find these in Jay's Budgens.
There are a few different options regarding cheese; however, the variety is limited. Milk & More and Jay's Budgens sell cheese wrapped in food grade wax. They are all different types of British hard cheese by Snowdonia, Godminster and Cheshire Cheese Company. There are many varieties available, Port and Brandy Cheddar being one of my favourites. Another option is to take your own containers or beeswax wraps to the deli counter in a supermarket or deli shop, which requires a bit more planning.
Fresh cheese is a little bit more difficult to find plastic free. I have now tried a couple of times to make ricotta and I am quite pleased with the results. It doesn't taste quite the same as shop bough ricotta but it has the right consistency and is lovely in a sandwich. All you need to make it is good quality fresh whole milk (I use gold top from Milk & More) and filtered lemon juice. I also found some spreadable cheese in foil at my local Turkish shop.
Eggs usually come in cartons which are fully compostable and recyclable. We try to buy free range eggs from local farms in Jay's Budgens when possible.
Mayonnaise is easily available in glass jars from most supermarkets.
Meat & Fish
We don't often eat meat and fish at home any more. On special occasions, such as a Sunday roast with chicken, we go to the local butchers or fishmongers with our own container. Last time I went to the Proud Sow to get a whole chicken in a cake tin they were very helpful and just placed it in without any additional plastic. I don't cook much fish at home and haven't bought any since going zero waste.
Bakery
In terms of baked goods, we tend to make our own bread using the bread maker on a regular basis. It sits in the bread tin and doesn't require any plastic for storage. If I need to transport a loaf of bread is wrap it in parchment paper and tie it up with string, both of which can be reused.
When we fancy croissants or similar we tend to go to the bakery where they sell them in paper bags or buy the jusroll pack of croissants which has very minimal plastic as you bake them at home yourselves and the tube is made mainly of cardboard.
cooking oils
Olive oil is easily found in glass bottle however most of the times these are more expensive than the plastic ones. We usually keep two types of olive oil at home. One cheaper oil for cooking and a high quality one for dressing. For our cooking olive oil it was becoming difficult to find it without plastic so we have started buying 5l tins from our local Turskish shop and refilling our own bottle with a spout that we use for cooking. Our good quality extra virgin olive oil comes from Antonio Delicatessen in Lewisham where you get a discount for bringing your own bottle (the bottle is from a nice oil we bought in Italy).
Vegetable oil is much harder to find without plastic so whenever I can I try to buy rapeseed oil in glass.
snacks
For a very long time, I gave up buying any crisps. I would occasionally eat some if somebody else had already bought them but wasn't very happy with the amount of waste it causes for such a small amount of food. I have finally found a solution, even though it is not on the cheap side. Two Farmers make crisps in home compostable packaging. I have tried a few varieties and they are very tasty. I can get them from Mission Green, they also have a list of outlet on their website.
Dried fruit such as apricots, banana chips, figs, dates and mango are a great option for a sweet treat every now and then and they are available loose in most zero waste stores and Jay's Budgens, where you can also buy other types of loose snacks. For example, chocolate coated raisins, spicy rice puffs and others.
drinks
We don't tend to drink that many soft drinks, however when we buy mixers such as soda water or tonic water we try to get them in packs of cans which are kept together by a cardboard box. They also stay fizzy for much longer in individual cans rather than in a 1l plastic bottle. Good for the occasional drinker.
Most alcoholic drinks comes in glass bottles, although we try to to buy larger bottles when we know it is something that will get used up or try to reuse nice looking bottles.
Hot drinks
This has been one of the trickiest areas in the kitchen. We usually drink a lot of coffee and decaf tea in the house. We usually buy coffee beans in cans as we have a coffee machine with a grinder. Unfortunately, the cans come with a black plastic lid but I do try to reuse them as dry food containers as much as I can. I have tried loose coffee also but it was incredibly strong and very very expensive. I am still looking for other alternatives.
Loose tea is available in cardboard boxes at the supermarket (PG tips) but we drink decaf the majority of the time which it is not easily found loose. Most tea companies are now making compostable plastic free teabags or transitioning to them but the packaging the bags come in often includes plastic one way or another. Either the box is wrapped in plastic, the bags are contained in a plasticised foil bag or each bag is wrapped in a heat sealed envelope. None of these options are plastic free. At the moment, we are drinking what we still have in the house or have received as presents.
Teapigs makes compostable teabags in completely plastic free packaging (the bag might look like plastic but it is compostable). However, the price is too high for regular tea drinking. I am hoping something better will come up soon.
Please leave a comment or send me a message for any suggestions.
