When you look for plastic-free options, you're way more likely to find them! 😉
I was so excited to find loose green beans in bulk bins at IGA 💚 And I wasn't the only one! My excitement sparked a conversation with another customer who hadn't noticed the bins until I started photographing them 😂
At the same grocery store, shoppers now have three ways to buy green beans:
A) loose from bulk bins
B) sealed in a plastic bag all the way from Guatemala
C) wrapped by the store in plastic wrap on a plastic tray
I chose option A and used my reusable mesh bag to buy the amount of beans I needed, which saved me money AND prevented food waste 💪
The next time you go to your usual grocery store, I encourage you to take a moment and really look around. You might be pleasantly surprised to find unpackaged options you never noticed before—naked vegetables in the produce section, loose pastries near the bakery counter, bulk coffee beans in the coffee aisle, bulk snacks and candies next to the packaged varieties and a deli counter that happily accepts customers' containers 😊 I wouldn’t have noticed these bulk bins had I not been looking for green beans for a new recipe!
And if you can't find a plastic-free option, it never hurts to ask a store employee "Do you have any [insert fruit/veggie] that’s not wrapped in plastic?" Maybe they'll show you an option you missed, and maybe they'll add bulk bins before your next visit 😃
