Good news! Plastic is being banned from supermarkets at last!
When plastic bags began to be replaced by recycled bags in supermarkets, everyone celebrated. It was the first step. Now it's the packaging's turn. Dozens of supermarkets around the world are sticking to the new trend. Read and learn of one more idea to protect the environment from plastic!
Soon, plastic will be abolished for good, because it is bad for nature and all living beings!
With the gradual banning of plastic bags, landfills, and other environments, such as streets, rivers, oceans, and forests, began to become unobstructed. But the war is not won so far.
There's more to go...
Many supermarket chains worldwide have begun to adopt new packaging for their products, by using recyclable, aluminum, or glass.
Other measures are taken by most supermarkets that decided to ban plastic bags and containers made of plastic:
- Removing all plastic from own-label ranges. Some supermarkets have already removed it if on fresh meat, poultry, fish and fruit, and veggies.
- Introducing coloured packaging made from recycled plastic for ready meals.
- Allowing customers to bring their own containers to the meat, fish, or cheese counter.
- Replacing all single-use fruit and veg bags with a home compostable alternative (banana bags are covered in the words "home compostable bag" and a suggestion to use it as a food waste caddy liner).
The sale is in bulk, just like the old warehouses. Because it's fractionated, it helps to fight food waste because you buy only the amount you need.
Some supermarkets have banned plastic at all
Netherlands
The first supermarket entirely plastic-free in the world is from Amsterdam. Both Belgium and the Netherlands have already taken steps to limit the use of plastic disposable bags, with fees for those that still want to use these bags.
The products have to be sold in bulk, in ecological containers, such as those made of palm or banana leaves, which have the seal "Plastic Free Mark", certifying the goods in new packaging.
Spain
In Barcelona, the tradition of barns is giving way to the conversion of the food retail trade into eco-friendly stores.
One supermarket that banned plastic bags and containers at all is Linverd Eco Market. Traditional products usually sold in a plastic containers, such as rice, pasta, and beans, are packaged in a non-plastic container.
Popular campaigns spread across the country, such as the movements called "Cero Residuos" and the "Desnuda la Fruta", fight not only for the elimination of plastic but of polystyrene trays, as well.
Greenpeace Spain sponsors petitions for the total banning of plastic also on hypermarkets.
United Kingdom
Fruit and vegetable retailers, which use about 40% of all plastic packaging in the country, have joined the "Plastic Free Aisle" movement.
One of England's most famous supermarkets, Iceland, the largest frozen food retailer, will be the first British supermarket to dispose of plastic packaging from all its products. The goal is to zero by the end of 2023. Currently, over 1,400 product lines in the chain are sold in recyclable containers.
By the way, Iceland became the first supermarket in Britain to remove artificial flavors and colors from its brand products, as well as being a world leader in banning genetically modified ingredients.
Germany
Although the so-called “green wave” started in the country and also the recycling process, Germany has the highest per capita rate of plastic packaging in the world.
Up to 20% of waste collected in parks and public areas in Germany consist of single-use plastics, primarily non-biodegradable polystyrene containers.
So, the German Cabinet has agreed to end the sale of single-use plastic items, including cutlery, straws, food containers, balloon holders, and cotton buds in a bid to eradicate the “throwaway culture”.
Japan
A new law in Tokyo requires supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies, and other retail shops to charge for single-use plastic shopping bags.
Other Asia countries started banning any plastic items from their supermarket shelves as well. In short, the list is growing all over.
USA
In America, eight states have passed legislation banning single-use plastic bags, with three (California, Hawaii, and Oregon) currently in effect.
Bans in New York, Maine, and Vermont are scheduled to do so very soon. New York City, for example, has banned the distribution of single-use plastic bags statewide. The law forbids most businesses from handing out the thin bags that are ubiquitous in supermarkets, bodegas, and boutiques.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 380 billion plastic bags and wraps are used every year in the USA, requiring 12 million barrels of oil as well as other toxic products.
Using aluminum, glass, paper, or compostable plastics instead of plastic bags is the best option to avoid bad environmental impacts!
Around 9 billion tons of primary (virgin) and secondary (recycled) plastics have been manufactured so far since plastic was invented.
4 largest producers of plastic waste in the world, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF):
- India
- China
- United States
- Brazil
Of the total plastic waste produced that these countries produce, recycling reaches only 1.2% or about 145,000 tons.
For Plastic Oceans Foundation Executive Director Julie Andersen, "Because recycled plastic covers only 6% of your total demand in Europe, it's clear that recycling isn't the way out of the problem!".
There are doubts about the effectiveness of plastic recycling
The message is obvious: total banning of all the plastic in the world is a must! There are no other excuses!