Have you ever noticed how much plastic is used in the packaging of the foods we purchase?
It was recently reported that we ingest the amount of plastic equivalent to a credit card every week! Plastic has been found in human blood in a study recently done in the Netherlands and was found in 80% of the participants of that study. It is unknown currently what the impact is of all that plastic to our health. But where is it coming from? It is found in food and beverage packaging, bottled water and tap water, much of which flows through plastic piping into our homes. Plastic is also found in our clothing, tools, toys, rugs, furnishings and building materials as well as their packaging.
The goal of this challenge was to become aware of the plastics that surround the food and beverages we routinely purchase every week. GRLA’s shopping challenge was to see if we could find alternatives to plastic packaging. We offered participants $50.00 each to see what they could find at their local store.
We learned the following:
Finding items that are completely without plastic was a real challenge to say the least, but a real eye opener. Through this exercise we realized that much of the food we buy is completely wrapped in plastic, while some items include less plastic, for example cereal or a frozen pizza are wrapped in plastic then placed inside a cardboard box. However, there are products available that are packaged in recyclable glass, cans, cardboard, paper, or nothing at all, which is particularly true for produce.
“It was tough, but fun. It’s amazing how much plastic is incorporated into packaging once you concentrate on avoiding it” commented James Blattenberger, Project Manager.
Some of the plastic-free items we found were:
Milk in a reusable glass bottle
Meat packaged in paper
Eggs in cardboard containers
Single serve yogurt in a glass jar with foil cover
Glass jars of sauces and salad dressings
Cheese wheels in cardboard and foil
Single serve oatmeal in a recyclable cardboard sleeve
Deli items packaged in paper only, if requested
Many of our grocery stores have moved away from single use plastic bags but there is more to do! Pallets of groceries that arrive in our local stores are encased in plastic wrap, which is then discarded, (another form of single use plastic).
The oil industry is transitioning to plastics manufacturing as we reduce our dependance on fossil fuels. Plastics are cheap, versatile, light weight and convenient. They are also polluting our air and water. Only about 10% will be recycled. The industry is relying on us to keep buying more virgin plastics to keep them in business. As consumers we have some choices and some responsibilities. The first step is to become aware. We challenge our friends to take the shopping challenge!
GRLA is committed to do our part in the design of the built environment to reduce green-house gas emissions and to move to a carbon neutral future to ensure that our children’s children have a world that continues to provide for them.