How can I decrease my plastic use when I am shopping?
• Take your own shopping bags to the supermarket – Do not buy new ones each time. Also, take smaller bags for your produce and bulk bins purchases. You can make your own small bags, reuse plastic ones or try premade cloth bags.
• Do you really need another plastic water bottle?? Bottled water comes straight out of the ground from other NZ based water sources and Palmerston North has pretty good water (in 2016 we were awarded the best testing drinking water in NZ).
• Look at the items you buy – is there an equivalent with less packaging?
• Avoid plastic packed veges if possible.
• Buy in bulk – take your bags and bottles to bulk bin shops like Steve’s, Bin Inn or Be Free Grocer and stock up on items such as baking ingredients, grains, nuts, washing powders and liquids. You can even make your own peanut butter!
• Take your own containers to the deli counter.
• Keep using your plastic bags until you can’t use them any further;look out for soft plastics recycling (current closest point is Otaki, but they are not collecting at the moment)