waste free food shopping

​Happy New Year – Food Basics

Hope you all had a good rest with friends and family over the festive season.

I aiming to make things easier for myself and my partner this year, as last January I really tried to go cold turkey on buying plastic free products as well as reverting back to being vegan after 30 years of being a vegetarian.

I started with our food staples which meant, amongst other things, making our own bread, and no pasta or rice until I found a plastic free source. Giving rise at one point to comments ‘that I couldn’t just give away bread to anyone like it was cake’!

Bread

​However over the last year, as you probably know, we’re lucky we have Bakehouse 24, Bennetts and M’s bakery all within walking distance. I also take my homemade produce bags to the co-op in Southbourne and fill them up at their small bakery section. We also did this at Aldi in Boscombe for a while, but the bakery seems to have gone now.

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PASTA & RICE

​In terms of pasta and rice you can get them either online (I’ve used The Plastic Free Pantry) or, easier, go to Sunrise organics in town where they have dispensers and you can fill your own containers, hurrah! There is talk of other shops opening, so watch this space or let us know if you use somewhere else.

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Pulses

Pulses and grains such as beans and lentils, as well as dried fruits, nuts and spices can also be bought with your own containers at Sunrise Organics in town.

MILK

I don’t drink milk but my partner does and we swapped to having it delivered on the door by Milk & More, along with our fruit juice in glass bottles. Eliminating plastic containers and tetrapac.

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FRUIT & VEG

Finally in the ‘main’ food staples for us I also swapped, and had been doing for a while now, going to the fruit and veg shop in Southbourne with my own bags filling up my shopping basket, no need for things to be put in separate bags. Sunrise Organics and Earth foods also have a small selection of organic veg. Supermarkets also sometimes have things like peppers and fruit un-bagged. Another option for package-free is fruit and veg, are box deliveries from companies like Avon Organics, Riverford and Abel & Cole.  

Fish & meat

Being vegan I don't buy fish and meat, but my partner tends to buy frozen fish or chicken pieces that come in cardboard. You can also get it fresh over the counter by bringing your own containers to a local butcher, fish monger or a supermarket that has a deli counter.
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So what’s next for me in terms of food? I’ve been trying to look at what else we eat and changes we can make.

​Even CUTTING DOWN THE RECYCLING - Sobowastebusters are going to do an information sheet on recycling and where it goes so that we all have a better understanding of where all our effort goes to and the difference it is or isn’t doing.

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So what do you think you could do?
Switch one thing a week? Make a LIST, start with something easy (bread, change to milk in bottles), tick it off (always satisfying) and let other people know. You’ll be surprised how much you achieve, let us know how you get on we’re about sharing stories and experiences. Good luck.

PS Post Christmas is a good time to take stock of what you bought and used this year and what changes to make next. 
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recycle un-recyclable items 

​Don’t forget, even some of the single use plastic can be recycled locally by Ideas2Action: Biscuit & crisp wrappers, corks, aluminium foil, stamps, 
​toothbrushes/ dental items, milk bottle tops, toiletry tops/ pumps & more.. Next time they have some extra after-Christmas items as well, read more here

Next collection:  
Southbourne Library
Saturday 19 January 10.30 - 12 noon 

Reduce
single use
​plastic

​For more ideas about how to replace single use plastic, have a look at the suggestions on our website