Smart Shopping

Become a Smart shopper and reduce waste!

By using our purchasing power to choose products that have the least packaging and therefore less impact on the environment, we can throw away less in our bins and often save money too. Here are some steps to help reduce the rubbish you produce:

• Stick to your shopping list! Don’t be swayed by all those Buy One Get One free items – unless they are on the list, avoid the temptation to buy and leave them on the shelf this will save wastage and your cash!
  
• Avoid excess packaging such as ready meals, plastic wrapped bananas, individually wrapped biscuits etc. Packaging costs money and can push up the price of goods. Wherever possible buy products packaged in recyclable materials such as cardboard.
  
• Choose fruit and vegetables that are loose and not pre-packed for you, and avoid layered packaging;
  
• Buy refillable products such as washing detergents, coffee and hand wash;
  
• Buy milk from a local supplier in returnable glass bottles, instead of plastic bottles;
  
• Avoid using cling film and foil - invest wisely in reusable storage containers instead;
  
• Ditch bottled water and drink tap. Invest in a refillable drinking bottle, you’ll save a lot of money and reduce the amount of plastic packaging produced;
  
• Avoid disposable varieties of products, such as batteries, cleaning cloths, razors, tissues, etc. Think about buying more durable items to replace them such as reusable razors and cotton handkerchiefs to reduce rubbish and save cash;
  
• Choosing refills for products that offer them e.g. fabric conditioner, air fresheners, printer cartridges this will help to reduce the amount of rubbish you produce; as it allows you to reuse the original container;
  
• Opt for reusable, washable nappies instead of disposables, it produces a lot less waste and will save you money;
  
• Choose higher quality items that are likely to last longer and keep them well-maintained to increase the product lifetime;
  
• Invest in rechargeable batteries to reduce rubbish and save cash;
  
• Choose products that contain less material and/or less hazardous substances. For example, choose water-based paints rather than oil-based ones or choose ‘natural’ Eco-cleaning products;
  
• Buying in bulk such as family size or economy size items such as washing powder, rice, pasta, coffee etc can save money and create less packaging in the long run;
  
• Buying recycled products, or products that can be recycled, will encourage manufacturers to demand more recycled materials and less virgin materials, thus reducing the amount of waste associated with a product;
  
• When buying gifts how about buying a ‘dematerialised’ item such as ‘gift experiences’ or ‘alternative gifts’ (e.g. cinema tickets or vouchers to go horse riding) – gifts which go deeper than the shiny paper wrapping;
  
• Do you really need it? Ask yourself this question next time you go shopping. Can you reuse or repair what you’ve got, can you buy recycled?