Plastic shopping bags aren’t the only single use plastics to avoid when you’re out shopping. The retail industry relies on tons of plastic products, and it passes onto consumers.
As shoppers, we’re so used to these plastics that we often don’t even consider them to be a problem.
I didn’t always recognize the five items in this list as being an issue. They aren’t as obvious—or talked about—as other single use plastics we encounter every day. But once I started being more intentional about refusing plastic, I couldn’t stop noticing how often these items were being handed over to me.
Here are five single use plastics to avoid—and refuse—while you’re out shopping.
PLASTIC PRODUCE BAGS
Most of us have grown up having giant rolls of these little baggies all over the produce and meat departments at the grocery store.
We’re so used to bundling up our onions, carrots, and apples, that we don’t realize that these bags are also single use plastic. Probably more “single use” than most other plastic bags.
There’s something especially “non-reusable” about plastic produce bags. First, they’re flimsy as hell. And then there’s the fact that you put “raw”, unwashed food in them. Throwing the bag away as soon as you get home seems like the best thing to do. (For the record, you CAN recycle these bags at a local drop off center, but DON’T put them in your curbside recycling bin!)
If you’re a healthy eater, who purchases lots of fruits and veggies for your family, you could be using 5 or more plastic produce bags in one shopping trip!
What to Use Instead
Mesh produce bags
I’ve got a set of 3 mesh produce bags that I love. They’re super lightweight and I store them inside my reusable shopping bags.
Mesh bags are best used for small produce, like baby potatoes, or if you’re buying a lot something (8 apples that will roll around in your shopping cart if not bundled up in some sort of bag).
Mesh produce bags are so lightweight that they add less than a penny to my purchase when I use them. Some grocery stores will also give you a credit for using them, just like with other reusable shopping bags.
Cardboard boxes or food storage containers
If you’re buying quite a bit of produce at every shopping trip, consider bringing along a cardboard box that fits in your shopping cart/buggie.
The box is just for holding your produce while you shop. Once you get to the checkout lane, you can do one of two things: plop the entire box on the belt and have the cashier pick through the items, or sort the items onto the belt yourself.
If you sort the items out onto the belt, be sure to give the cashier your empty box; they can put all your items back in, and you can easily transport everything to the car.
PRO TIP Yes, the conveyor belt at the grocery store is filthy, but your produce has already been touched by a lot of dirty hands before reaching you. A plastic produce bag doesn’t do anything to keep your food clean or safe, but washing it at home does!
No containers at all
Although we’re a plant-based household, there’s only two of us, so my produce purchases are generally not huge. Even if I have my mesh produce bags with me, I often just grab and eggplant and put it in my shopping cart.
The first few times I did this, I felt like such a rebel. I also wondered if people would think I was crazy, but then I remembered that what they thought was less important than saving the planet.
RELATED: Here’s How to Never Forget Your Reusable Shopping Bags
PLASTIC HANGERS
Have you ever stopped to look at the number of plastic hangers being used in a typical clothing store?
It used to be that the stores were super protective over these hangers. If you asked to keep one (because it had little rubber pads on the edges, to keep your dress from sliding off it), they gave you side eye and had to ask the manager.
Something changed in the last few years, though. Now, stores are so concerned with the speed of getting people through the checkout lane (read: getting your money) that they’re happily giving away every hanger you bring up to the register. They don’t even take the items off the hangers, they just shove it all into a plastic shopping bag.
That means that for every shirt you bring home on a store hanger, the store needs another hanger to replace it. Which means the stores are buying more plastic hangers than ever, when they used to reuse them over and over again.
Chances are, you have plenty of hangers at home and don’t need another one. The hanger is probably not recyclable, either, so taking it home is just wasteful.
What to do instead
Refuse the plastic hanger
Do not allow the cashier or bagger to put your new clothing items into a bag still on the hanger.
Better yet: take the clothing off the hangers before the cashier can get their hands on them. If you’re the second person in line, use the wait time to remove the clothes from the hangers. Then, lay them neatly in front of the cashier and say, “I don’t need these hangers, the store can keep them.”
PLASTIC GARMENT BAGS
Once upon a time, only the very posh took their clothes home in a garment bag. And it was probably a nice fabric bag.
Nowadays, plastic garment bags are handed out like candy by all sorts of clothing stores, even those selling cheap fast fashion. I’m not sure if they’re trying to create the illusion of high quality through this “service” or what. It strikes me as strange, but even worse, it’s just one more single-use plastic that we’re getting used to.
I don’t know about you, but as a responsible adult, I’m fully capable of getting my new coat to my car without spilling a jar of spaghetti sauce on it, or having a stray dog jump all over it. I honestly don’t need a flimsy plastic cover for it.
Also: a garment bag automatically means that your item is on a hanger (see above).
What to do instead
Refuse the garment bag
The second you see the sales person reaching reaching to cover up your new purchase with a flimsly covering of plastic, say, “Oh, thank you, but I don’t need the garment bag or the plastic hanger, I’ll just put it in my reusable shopping bag.”
PRO TIP Designate one or two reusable shopping bags for clothing or non-food items. Bags used for groceries can get a little grimy, and no one wants to put their brand new outfit into that. By having a bag that is dedicated only to clothing or books, you’ll be more inclined to refuse single use plastic bags at checkout.
BUBBLE WRAP
Although it’s difficult to avoid plastic bubble wrap when making purchases online, if you’re buying something breakable in a store, try to skip it!
Bubble wrap might be fun for a few moments after you get home (who doesn’t love to pop it?), but most people just toss it in the trash.
What to do instead
Refuse bubble wrap
You might think that you’re at the mercy of the store, and whatever packing supplies they have. The person checking you out probably thinks so, too (it’s not uncommon for sales personnel to wrap breakable items in a wad single use plastic bags simply because it’s the only thing they have handy at the register).
Truth: they probably have some plastic-free packing supplies in the back. It doesn’t hurt to ask if they have some packing paper or a box.
Don’t forget to consider anything you might be carrying: a sweater or a fabric reusable shopping bag would work just as well as bubble wrap.
Thinking out of the box is a big part of the plastic-free lifestyle.
GIFT CARDS
Did I just blow your mind? Had you never considered the fact that all those gift cards that are bought, given away, and then tossed out are actually plastic?
It’s true, and I’ve written an entire article about it.
The short version: although gift cards can be recycled, it’s not easily done at all recycling facilities. Plus, when you gift a card to someone, there’s no telling how they will dispose of it after use.
And most uses of gift cards are single use, because these days, you upload the credit to a website or app, and you don’t need to carry the card around with you.
What to do instead
Purchase digital gift cards
Skip purchasing plastic gift cards and opt for virtual/digital gifting instead. You can either email the gift to someone or print out the credit and put it in a greeting card.
PRO TIP Buying a greeting card? Avoid the cards with the little plastic wrappers around them. These wrappers are meant to protect the card during shipping/display in store, but they are totally single use plastic, meant to throw away once the card is purchased.
SHOP WITH CONFIDENCE
It’s true: reducing plastic waste requires you to stay on high alert. But now that you know which single use plastics to avoid while shopping, you can shop with confidence.
