Once November rolls around, the grocery store transforms into a minefield of stressed out shoppers, extra long lines, and waste waste waste.

Make your next shopping trip relatively painless and waste free with some careful planning ahead.

Tackle “prep-overs,” i.e. packaging waste, with eco-friendly solutions and you’ll never be weighed down by plastic bags again.

The average American throws away 185 pounds of plastic every year. Let’s take a tour through the grocery aisles to see where we can combat prep-overs and significantly limit our waste.

Reusable shopping bags are the norm, but what about bags for produce?

Stock up on ECOBAGS produce bags to cut down. Their 100% cotton and string bags are perfect for plastic-free shopping and cute too.

Pro Tip: Keep your leafy greens from wilting by dampening the cloth bag slightly before storing. The moist cotton keeps your produce fresher for longer than plastic bags.

Prepared Foods Bars & Deli Counter

ECOlunchbox reusable containers, like the no-leak Blue Water Bento Splash Box are ideal for deli meats. The non-reactive stainless steel container doesn’t retain odors or flavors. The tare weight is also etched into the bottoms. Learn more about how to shop using tare weights here.  

Pro Tip: Make friends with your deli counter servers. Crack some jokes and they’ll be happy to help with your reusable containers.

The Reusable Section

Skip the plastic-wrap and check out this all-natural alternative made with organic cotton, beeswax, organic jojoba oil, and tree resin. Bee’s Wrap is washable, reusable and compostable.

You’ll get so much use out of this one product from wrapping bowls, to keeping fruit fresh.

The Bakery

Here are two fool-proof solutions to keep fresh bread fresh for the plastic averse.

Elegantly eco-chic bread bags from Peg and Awl come in a variety of sizes and make the perfect wrapping when gifting a homemade loaf.

Bread tins work wonders too. If you don’t have a tin, double bag your bread in cotton bags. Thanks Beth Terry of My Plastic Free Life for these tips.

Ta-da! You're all packed up in zero waste style. Once your containers have been stickered with barcode labels pricing your food purchases, check-out is a breeze. The cashier just passes through the scanner normally to ring up on the register.

P.S. And after you enjoy your special meal, come on back to our blog and check out our Plastic-Free Guide To Saving Leftovers!