Reduce Packaging Waste

Americans threw away 76 million tons of packaging in 1999 – 37.2 percent of the nation’s municipal waste stream. Packaging is often needed to protect goods from damage, contamination and tampering during transportation and storage, but many products are overpackaged, and consumers foot the bill for that excess. At least 10 percent of the average grocery bill pays for packaging, so shopping for less packaging can save money as well as environmental resources.

Seek products that need no packaging at all. Hardware items like nails and screws can be purchased from bulk bins. Fresh produce from bulk bins can be taken loose to the cash register and placed in your bags after they are weighed and rung up. Ice cream in a cone instead of a cup gives you packaging you can eat instead of waste.

When there is no practical escape from packaging, look for:

• Products packed in a single recyclable material, rather than layers of various materials.
• Packaging that is made from recycled material, and preferably, is recyclable.
• Products attached to a paperboard backing with staples or ties rather than products shrink-wrapped to the paperboard backing.
• Paperboard boxes or sleeves instead of plastic bags.
• Containers for liquids or deodorant that are not further contained in paperboard boxes.
• Concentrates that can be mixed with water at home.
• Pre-mixed products like detergent with bleach, shampoo with conditioner.
• Pumps instead of aerosols, which are less expensive, too.
• Tubes instead of pumps – toothpaste pumps use three times as much plastic as toothpaste tubes.