Kelly Stevenson-Lal

I thought I would share how I keep my Fruit & Vege shopping plastic free. Tips on avoiding the plastic produce bags & extra packaging.

The plastic supermarket bags have been phased out here in New Zealand finally but the produce bags are still there.

Growing your own fruit and vege is obviously amazing and it always tastes better. But if you don’t grow your own try to buy without plastic.

How I shop for Fruit and vege without plastic.

🥦 Take my own produce bags.

The bags I’ve got pictured here – 🥒Onya produce bag – the mesh style produce bag. I got it ages ago in a two pack, it was brand new from a secondhand shop.

🥒 The cream one – I whipped up about 5 of these the other day out of a piece of calico I hadn’t used up. I might dye them thinking tie dye but I do quite like them as is. I might see how long they stay cream.

🥒The grey bag -my old Kathmandu jacket came in this bag.

Just shows you can buy them, make them or reuse things you already have. You can use anything. The lighter the better but I don’t think it makes too much of a difference. I also use old rice bags which are really handy as they have a zip, they are big so great for apples and oranges .

Some extra tips to keep your produce shopping plastic free

🌏 The key is having quite a few reusable bags because you always end up getting a variety of things which each need their own bag.

🌏 If you are just getting a small amount of something often you don’t need a bag.

🌏Bananas 🍌 don’t need a bag they are really handy and come in a bunch 👍🏽🌏

🌏 Vege shops often have less packaging than supermarkets and I’ve found more welcoming when using your own bags. Although supermarket attitudes have changed with the plastic bag ban.

🌏 Choosing the least plastic option of something – Eg you can buy 10 kgs of potatoes 🥔 some come in plastic some in paper.

Every little bit helps so do the best you can with what you have. We can all make a difference.

Much love