The Problem with Packaging Waste: How Zero-Waste Grocers Are Powering Solutions

Walk into any grocery store and there are aisles lined with fresh produce, meats, cheeses, and other dietary necessities. Look a little closer and there is also plastic—and a lot of it. Six-packs of cucumbers nestled in Styrofoam trays and wrapped in plastic wrap, clementines packaged in plastic nets, and plastic containers filled with nuts or dried fruits are just a few examples of this always present but easily overlooked environmental issue.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that plastic and other packaging waste makes up around 30 percent of total U.S. waste annually. Of the 34.5 million tons of plastic waste generated each year, only 9 percent is recycled, with most of the recyclable waste shipped to other countries for processing. However, the receiving countries often lack the infrastructure to properly process these materials, which leads to U.S. waste ending up in landfills and ecosystems across the globe.

China, once the primary recipient of American recycling waste, banned waste imports in 2018. Now, China’s recyclable plastics imports are down 99 percent, leaving the United States struggling to manage its massive amounts of plastic waste with a recycling infrastructure that cannot keep up. With insufficient capacity to manage domestic plastic waste, communities across the United States are turning to incinerators and landfills to address this growing problem.

With 26.8 million tons of plastic sent to landfills in 2017, it’s clear that major changes are needed to solve the plastic pollution crisis. According to Christy Leavitt, the Plastics Campaign Director at Oceana, the national discussion on plastic waste must move past recycling campaigns and on to actual action.

“It’s time we turned to real solutions: policies that greatly reduce the amount of unnecessary single-use plastic produced, in addition to refillable and reusable systems that move us away from throwaway culture entirely,” Leavitt said.

Enter zero-waste grocery stores, unique shops popping up across the globe designed to eradicate plastic and food packaging entirely from the grocery model, building a more environmentally-conscious consumer culture along the way.

Precycle, based in Brooklyn, is one such grocery store. At Precycle, customers bring their own containers to fill up with any of the available locally-sourced and seasonal bulk products. Katerina Bogatireva, owner of Precycle, decided to open the store after recognizing that sustainable grocery shopping in traditional grocery stores was difficult and time-consuming.

"I wanted to bring to the market the most sustainable option with the least amount of packaging for customers, because I knew that there are a lot of people out there who were bothered by this excessive packaging problem that we have,” Bogatireva said.

All products at Precycle are available in bulk and all necessary packaging is biodegradable. However, despite the community support for Precycle, Bogatireva believes the packaging problem is too large for zero-waste grocers to solve alone.

"Packaging is a design flaw,” Bogatireva said. “I think we just have to reimagine things in that area. We can make a difference, of course, but I think on a large scale, the only solution would be to reinvent packaging in general."

Similarly, down the coast in Florida, Emily Mauri, owner of the zero-waste shop Jar, is also working to provide a waste-free shopping experience for her community. She also strives to educate her customers on other waste-reduction techniques and the impacts of plastics on the environment.

“When customers come into the store, not only am I providing them with valuable information to allow them to make informed decisions going forward, but I also sell many of the solutions to help create a healthier planet,” Mauri said. “For example, we have canning jars and other containers for sale in the store if someone is just starting off and doesn’t have their own containers.”

Helped along by zero-waste shops, consumers are becoming more aware of and concerned about the problems posed by plastic waste. According to Mauri, the more people hear about reducing waste, the more the movement will grow.

“Awareness is half of the battle and awareness is at an all-time high concerning zero waste,” Mauri said.

Despite the efforts of zero-waste grocers, removing single-use plastic from the food supply chain on a wide scale is impossible without federal policies aimed at curbing plastic production. According to Leavitt, consumers understand the negative impacts of plastics on human and environmental health but do not have enough plastic-free choices available. She states that only when single-use plastic producers are held accountable for their waste production will large-scale change be achieved.

“Companies need to get on board in fighting plastic pollution by dramatically reducing plastic production before it’s too late—and comprehensive government policies regulating single-use plastics are critical in ensuring that happens,” Leavitt said.

State governments have led the charge in reducing single-use plastics by banning plastic straws and bags and other packaging waste products like Styrofoam. According to Leavitt, this state-level action has set the stage for federal policy. In February 2020, Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) introduced the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, which is the first comprehensive federal action curbing plastic production and holding producers responsible for the waste they create.

While some policymakers are moving to address plastic waste at its source, grocers like Mauri and Bogatireva hope that consumers choose to be more mindful of how they shop, especially in light of COVID-19.

"Human health has somehow taken a back seat to economics," Mauri said. "It's sad and I hope if nothing else, people realize how little they actually need when COVID-19 becomes manageable. We have something right now in front of us that is telling us to slow down and change our habits and science is already showing just how healthy that is for the planet."

Author: Sydney O’Shaughnessy