Stop the use of plastic - what can I do to help?

The neighbourhood in which I live are currently asking all the residents to avoid buying any products that are wrapped or packaged in plastic. Their focus is primarily on food packaging and targeting local supermarkets to reduce the amount of plastic that they are using.

It has once again made me realise how many products are unnecessarily packaged in plastic and many could use alternative non-plastic packaging or even none. For a number of years now I have been using reusable shoppers and I have a reusable water bottle which I love. I also try to avoid using plastic bags for putting loose fruit and vegetables into, which can sometimes presents a problem when buying small items like cherry tomatoes.

I recently came across reusable "produce" bags that are great to use. There are many greengrocers that supply paper bags for produce. So why can't supermarkets do the same? Eggs can be packed in cardboard rather than plastic. There is no need for fruit or vegetables to be wrapped in plastic, it can be sold loose.

We as consumers and customers can all ask our local supermarkets and shops to reduce the amount of plastic that they use and thereby reduce the carbon footprint. So if we stop buying produce that is wrapped and packaged in plastic,suppliers will have to use eco-friendly alternatives.

We all need to help more to save our beautiful planet.