Finding new ways to go green is a lot easier than you might think. For example, there are plenty of small things you can do to help the environment when you shop for groceries. Here are just a few green shopping tips to keep in mind the next time you head to the supermarket.
Bring Your Own Bag
A lot of the garbage that is produced after your typical shopping trip consists of the many plastic bags that are used to carry your food. There is no way to carry a week’s worth of groceries out of the store without some kind of container, but you can cut down on some of this waste by bringing your own bags. You can reuse heavier plastic or paper bags, or you can invest in a canvas or cloth shopping bag. Most stores sell reusable bags at affordable prices, so pick up a few the next time you need to go shopping. They will come in handy.
Only Buy What You Need
It may be tempting to stock up on snack foods that you think your family will love, but having too much food in your home means that some of it will go to waste. Extra produce that spoils might be compostable, but other foods have packaging that could end up in a landfill somewhere. To keep this from happening, only buy the foods that you know you’ll need. If you plan things correctly, nothing will go to waste and need to be thrown away before your next shopping trip.
Buy In Bulk
This sounds counterintuitive to our previous tip, but buying in bulk whenever you can is a great way to cut down on waste. Buying foods in bulk means less packaging that needs to be thrown away, which will ultimately be better for the environment.
Skip Bottled Water
Bottled water is tremendously wasteful, not to mention expensive. Instead of spending extra money on filtered water that comes in plastic bottles that need to be thrown away, invest in a pitcher filter or a filter for your kitchen sink. Both may seem more expensive than a bottle of water, but they will save you money in the long run.