Did you ever notice how many items you throw away when you are shopping? Once you walk in the door with your purchase, whether they are retail, grocery, or household products, you likely throw away so many boxes and bags as you unpack. Most of this waste is completely unnecessary. By making the right changes to your shopping habits, you can reduce the waste associated with your shopping trips. As a company that focuses on cardboard recycling in Orlando, we encourage our community to increase the awareness of recycling and reducing waste. These are a few tips to eliminate using the extra waste when you are shopping.
Plastic shopping bags are one of the leading causes of pollution, and these mainly come from grocery stores and food markets. To reduce plastic pollution, you should invest in a few recycled canvas shopping totes that can be reused many times. Keep these bags in your car so that they are easily accessible when you are running your errands.
Individualized packaging causes unnecessary waste that only goes into the garbage right when you get home. For this reason, it is beneficial to buy your groceries in bulk. Consider buying wholesale household items to eliminate the waste that comes from cardboard packaging and individualized packaging.
When you shop with local markets or stores, they tend to have more of an eco-friendly mission at the core of their business. For example, local butchers will use more sustainable methods to package their meats. There are many local markets in Orlando that offer fruit, vegetables, meats, breads, and other locally sourced food. Also, these markets typically focus on sustainable practices by using recyclable materials to package their items. Take notice of these business practices and choose local shops that do better for the planet.
When it comes to unpacking your groceries, always try to recycle the items that you can. If you have cardboard boxes, deconstruct them and put them in your recycling bin so they can be repurposed. Reuse jars and food containers as organizational tools in your kitchen or home office.
When it comes to packaging your groceries and taking them home, you should opt for car organization bins to keep in the trunk of your car. These bins can be reused each time you run errands, which eliminates the need for many plastic bags. Retractable bins are an easy way to save space when you need to store other items in your trunk, but they are great for when you need them for your groceries.
By implementing these simple tips, you can work to eliminate extra waste when you are shopping. Next time you go to the mall, Walmart, or grocery store, you will be able to get everything you want without any of the waste that you do not need. For more tips on paper, plastic, and cardboard recycling in Orlando, contact Orlando Recycling today.