Food packaging has always been one of those things that always bothered me. Think about all the food that is sitting on the shelves in your grocery store....how much is packaged in some type of plastic?
How much of that plastic packaging is going to end up in the landfill?
Now multiply by that by the 1000's of grocery stores in the United States alone!
The waste really adds up to alot. There are biodegradable packaging materials out there, and i've been finding that food companies and grocery stores are finally starting to catch on.
SunChips is one company that is using biodegradable chip bags. They even show you with pictures on the bag how it biodegrades after 13 weeks of being buried in the soil. The bag surprisingly crinkles much louder in the way that potatoe chip bags generally do, so they might not be the best snack to sneak into the movies.
I was shopping at Henry's Market in San Diego and noticed that their rotisserie chickens are no longer being packaged in those bulky plastic 'bubble dome' style containers. To take steps towards reducing plastic waste, Henry's is not using 100% paper packaging for those chickens.
If you are having a party some time soon, remember that there are eco-friendly alternatives to plasticwear(although you should always try to use reuables whenever possible). There are companies out there that are making plastic forks, knives, cups, and trays out of corn gluten and plant starch....which is 100% biodegradable! So stay away from that styrofoam and go with something a little more green. Check out www.trellisearth.com for wholesale corn plastic cups and containers.
So the next time you are out shopping, be sure to consider the waste created by the type of packaging that comes with your food. One type of packaging that particularly annoys me are those bags of shredded cheese! I would even like to present a challenge:
Try to go 1 week without buying any food that is packages in some type of plastic...I dare you. It's harder than you think.
Food packaging has always been one of those things that always bothered me. Think about all the food that is sitting on the shelves in your grocery store....how much is packaged in some type of plastic?
How much of that plastic packaging is going to end up in the landfill?
Now multiply by that by the 1000's of grocery stores in the United States alone!
The waste really adds up to alot. There are biodegradable packaging materials out there, and i've been finding that food companies and grocery stores are finally starting to catch on.
SunChips is one company that is using biodegradable chip bags. They even show you with pictures on the bag how it biodegrades after 13 weeks of being buried in the soil. The bag surprisingly crinkles much louder in the way that potatoe chip bags generally do, so they might not be the best snack to sneak into the movies.
I was shopping at Henry's Market in San Diego and noticed that their rotisserie chickens are no longer being packaged in those bulky plastic 'bubble dome' style containers. To take steps towards reducing plastic waste, Henry's is not using 100% paper packaging for those chickens.
If you are having a party some time soon, remember that there are eco-friendly alternatives to plasticwear(although you should always try to use reuables whenever possible). There are companies out there that are making plastic forks, knives, cups, and trays out of corn gluten and plant starch....which is 100% biodegradable! So stay away from that styrofoam and go with something a little more green. Check out www.trellisearth.com for wholesale corn plastic cups and containers.
So the next time you are out shopping, be sure to consider the waste created by the type of packaging that comes with your food. One type of packaging that particularly annoys me are those bags of shredded cheese! I would even like to present a challenge:
Try to go 1 week without buying any food that is packages in some type of plastic...I dare you. It's harder than you think.
