• Replacement for plastic bags

One of the most important reasons why it is worth avoiding plastic and film is their high level of environmental and health damage. However, it is difficult to limit its use when it is almost everywhere around us. One way to reduce the amount of plastic waste produced every day is to shop without plastic bags and plastic carrier bags. Many people will probably ask themselves at this point whether it is even possible to shop in the supermarket without plastic? After all, tomatoes, cheese, cold cuts, meat and bread are all packaged in plastic. We get apples , tangerines and peppers packed in plastic trays and wrapped in film. And how can you pack loose plums other than in a plastic tear-off bag that can be found at every fruit and vegetable stand? It turns out that avoiding plastic bags when shopping is one of the first and easiest ways to produce less and no waste.

Replacement for plastic bags

The paradox of using plastic bags is that their average lifespan is only about 20 minutes, after which they end up in the trash, and their decomposition time is at least several dozen long years. During this time, they linger in landfills and contaminate the soil with microplastics, which end up in the water along with rain. Therefore, if we want to avoid plastic bags when shopping and contribute to protecting the environment, we must go to the market with our own packaging. And they can be:

• Reusable cloth bags are the foundation for successful plastic-free shopping. They don't take up much space, so you should always have them with you. They can be made of cotton or linen. They're large and roomy, and we can fit at least as much shopping in them as the bags sold at the checkout. They can be washed and used indefinitely.
• Wicker basket – not only looks beautiful, but is also highly adjustable. It's ideal for conveniently arranging eggs, jars, vegetables, and fruit. Wicker is a readily available raw material in Poland, and the production of a wicker basket leaves virtually no carbon footprint.
• Linen bread bag – Linen is an excellent material for storing bread. It has natural antibacterial properties.
• Drawstring bags – they can be made of cotton, jute, linen, or bamboo. They are perfect for packing products by weight: vegetables, fruit, but also nuts, cereals, and other loose products.
• Glass or plastic containers are perfect for purchasing cold cuts, meat, and cheese by weight. It's enough for the seller to tare the scales, meaning they set them to display the value of the product itself, without the weight of the packaging.
• beeswax – is a reusable material impregnated with wax that has the properties of aluminum foil. Stores can use wax foil to wrap cold cuts or cheese purchased by weight.
• Carton egg containers – when we buy eggs, for example, at the market, we don't have to carry a new carton each time. We can bring them from home.

These are just a few of the options we can use to begin our journey toward lower-waste shopping. Those more experienced and familiar with shopping without plastic can buy silage for their own glass jars, shampoo for their own bottles, or shampoo cubes by weight at the fair or in zero-waste stores. However, if we forego plastic bags and switch to reusable linen bags instead, for example, and put apples in a cotton or bamboo bag instead of a plastic one, that's enough to get us started.