Bring your own bag when shopping

By bringing your own bag, you could reduce the need to take home a new plastic bag each time. Plastic bags are having a huge negative impact on the environment – landfill sites are full of them and it could be 1000 years before they degrade.

Many supermarkets now sell ‘bags for life’ which are large and durable and can be used as a permanent solution every time you go shopping. 

Plus, if you do keep buying a plastic bag, they’re now at least 5p each in the UK.  This is a great reason to stop using plastic carriers and to invest in a cost-effective long lasting bag instead.

Buy less products with plastic packaging

When it comes to encouraging zero waste living, it could be worth also cutting out products that use plastic packaging. A lot of modern brands are now adopting paper and cardboard – try to opt for these when shopping or at least glass or tin which doesn’t require the use of plastic. 

Getting an organic vegetable delivery is a great way to totally cut out all plastic packaging on your weekly fruit and veg shop.

Recycle food waste

You should be able to recycle all your food waste with your local council’s food recycling scheme or by using them for gardening purposes.

A lot of this food waste can be used as compost, whilst orange peels are a great natural pest repellent.

Of course, you can also cut down on food waste by not throwing away leftovers - many leftover foods can be repurposed and put into curries, pasta bakes, soups, stews and sandwiches.

Related: 5 ways you can reduce your kitchen waste today and save money

Support local produce

Buying more food that is sourced locally can also help to save the planet. Food that isn’t sourced locally often has to shipped by sea or flown over by air – both of these create lots of carbon emissions.

Farmer’s markets are a great place to buy local food. Some supermarkets also have sections for local food.

Go organic

Foods that are non-organic often use chemical pesticides and chemical fertilisers that require industrial processing that is harmful to the environment. By opting for more organic foods, you could help to reduce your carbon footprint.

You can find organic food by checking the label. You can also try shopping at organic wholesalers that only sell organic food. Few foods are wholly organic - many are 90% organic and some may only use organic traces. However, these foods are still better for the environment than non-organic foods. 

Check out their organic credentials and which company is certifying them as organic to have a better understanding of whether they allow any chemicals at all.

Organic food is more expensive, but it's an investment in your health and the planet.  Hopefully the more people that choose organic, the cheaper it will become.

Related - 3 important reasons to choose organic

Grow your own food

You can also try growing some of your own food. By growing your own food, you’ll be buying less food that has to be transported plus you can ensure that no chemical fertilisers or pesticides are used.

You could start a vegetable patch or grow plants in a greenhouse. There are even edible plants that can be grown indoors if you don’t have a garden such as tomatoes, peppers and herbs.

Go plant-based

Industrially farmed meat has a massive negative impact on the environment. This is due to the land, food, water and energy required for raising livestock.  That land, food and water could feed us several times more than the meat it produces could! 

Eating meat has lots of health consequences and is now proven to be bad for the environment.  Whether you stop eating meat to save the planet, for your own health or for the animals themselves, there are plenty of reasons to stop.

Eat more raw foods

Cooking food uses up energy that is often produced by burning fossil fuels. By trying more raw foods, you’ll use your oven less.

There are lots of foods that can be enjoyed raw. If you don’t enjoy raw foods, you could try cooking less food inside your oven and using the hobs more to fry, steam and boil as hobs use up a lot less energy.

Final thoughts

Adopting an eco-friendlier diet not only benefits the planet but can also be cost-effective. By making simple changes like using reusable bags, reducing plastic packaging, recycling food waste, supporting local produce, choosing organic options, growing your own food, going plant-based, and incorporating more raw foods, you can play a part in preserving the environment while saving money on your grocery bills.

There are lots of ways to start being more eco-conscious when it comes to how we eat, plus some of them will save us money too!

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