Sunday, July 30, 2006

Whole Foods: Plastic vs.....Plastic?



The paper or plastic question is a doozy. A quick google search on the topic yields 13,900,000 results. Anyone looking for a definitive answer has their work cut out for them.....of course, we know the real answer: neither, bring your own.

Both paper and plastic require raw materials and energy (fossil fuels) to produce and transport, both processes emit water and air pollution, and both need to be "dealt" with after their ever-so-brief lifespans. Which means they either go to the landfill, are recycled, or somehow wind up on the sides of freeways, in local surf spots, etc.

So to make life easier for us, Whole Foods is eliminating the choice, and going all plastic, at least in the Southern region......

More to come about this.

2 comments:

Lady L said...

Hi Anna,

I love your passion for eliminating plastics from our waste stream. I'm also trying to reduce my plastic usage. I recently discovered this great stainless steel water bottle so I now I can cut my plastic usage there. But I have a question for you, what do you use for produce and bulk items at the grocery store? I really want to stop using plastic bags, but haven't come up with a good alternative. Any suggestions?

Stephen Box said...

Hey dharmageddon,

Please, shop at your local farmers market, and always carry lots of canvas bags, or a nice basket with you. If you have plastic bags at home, then you can reuse those as well. But avoid to take any new plastic home!

And if you buy stuff that has any excess packaging, unwrap it at the store, and leave the trash with the cashier. If everyone would do this, companies would rethink their packagings, to be either less, or reusable.