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Environment
Big retailers are making efforts to cut packaging
If you want to accumulate less waste packaging, the single most important step is to shop less at supermarkets. Though the big retailers are making commendable efforts to cut down on packaging, there’s still too much of it. An 80g pack of organic Portobello mushrooms bought recently (not by me!) at a national chain came in a clingfilmed plastic tray weighing 20g – one quarter the weight of the contents.
Had the buyer shopped at my local fruit and veg stall, the packaging would have consisted of a compostable paper bag. And the bags can be re-used before composting. If you’re microwaving something that splatters, such as bacon or a tomato sauce, you can loosely put the bag on top to catch the splatters.
One type of packaging that you can’t do much with is the plastic bags used by butchers and fishmongers. They can’t be used for storing other foods, since they’ve been contaminated by the food inside them, but they can be used for marinating your purchases. Leave the goods inside, dump in the marinade, and squidge everything around. Put them on a dinner plate (to catch leakage) and refrigerate.
Also of dubious recycling potential are the ubiquitous tubs used for ready-meals and takeaways. Aluminium is fine – rinse and recycle – but those pesky plastic tubs? Re-use them for freezing portions of stews, soups and the like. Freeze without a lid, then cover with clingfilm or with one of those plastic bags used for wrapping up newspaper supplements – yes, like the one in which this magazine reached your breakfast table. Just make sure the bag doesn’t touch the food, as this type of plastic is not food-approved.
It’s a small contribution to the reduction of packaging waste – though supermarket avoidance is still your best bet.
