This week I’ve been ‘going bananas’!
Having switched to buying bananas from local supermarkets in order to avoid the plastic that comes with home delivery, I’ve noticed that most have far fewer bananas without packaging than those with it. When asked, staff couldn’t give a good reason for this! It’s a mystery!
A banana has a skin, it doesn’t need further packaging! Next time you’re shopping see if you can spot somewhere that only has ‘naked bananas’!!
If you’re serious about decreasing your plastic consumption, starting with products like bananas is a good place to start, if you haven’t already done so. Thanking staff in supermarkets for stocking the ‘no plastic’ variety and only ever buying this sort is an effective way to gently get the point across that overpackaging is not going to get your custom.
Saying that, it is great to see supermarkets increasingly allowing the fruit and veg to ‘go naked’ and be sold without excessive, or even any, plastic packaging. This is a great step in the right direction, and I was pleased to buy several items using my cloth bags at Waitrose…
Photo by Alison Winters
Supermarkets are starting to get switched on to the idea that customers are concerned about climate change. I had a positive chat with one of the managers in Waitrose recently. They are constantly reviewing lines and now offer lots of vegetables sold loose like in a greengrocer.
I was in Tesco in Cardiff recently and they also have lots of loose vegetables and paper bags to put them. Even better! Our local Lidl has always sold quite a wide range of fruit and vegetables loose. There will be others too. If we all vote with our purses and buy the loose version in our supermarket and remember to reuse bags when shopping this could really cut down on plastic and send a powerful message to supermarket managers.
The Co-op in Malvern Link launched a scheme last November to recycle soft plastics and they have clear eco targets with sensible timescales which they’ve tightened up further recently.
It is great that supermarket chains are starting to think about the challenge of climate change. Let’s keep encouraging them to keep heading in the right direction😊 Of course in Malvern we’re lucky to have a great selection of independent food shops, farm shops, health food shops and even a refill shop. These can help us source local food and cut our food miles too, and often with a lot less packaging. We need to cherish and use these so they can remain as viable businesses.