Vered's - Plastic Free July Journey

It hasn’t always been like that, but with time, increasing work and family obligations and weakened determination, I find myself facing a large quantity of plastic waste that needs to be disposed of, along with a heavy burden on my conscience. 
 
It is easy to recognise the main obstacle in my habits. It is food shopping.  Almost all the fruits and vegetables that I buy come packed in plastic.  Along with dry foods like rice, pasta, lentils and such, milk, yoghurt and juice; it adds up to a pile of plastic (pictured) every week.

I am very low key on cosmetics, so I don’t consider that to be much of a problem.  I never use plastic carrier bags or disposable dishes.  I hardly buy takeout food or pre-cooked meals, and most of my kids’ plastic toys are second hand (or will be once we are done with them).  I use my own reusable water bottle and coffee cup. Once I manage to reduce my plastic food packaging substantially, I will have addressed most of the problem. 
 
After talking about this with many of my friends, I can safely say that for many families, time and budget concerns make the existing plastic-free solutions more challenging. As much as we worry about the state of our environment, spending more time shopping every week, or paying much more, seems like a burden that many families cannot sustain over time.

So I decided to explore the options, here in Oxford, and share with you my conclusion over the month.  Please feel free to share your views and advice as we go along. 

My first trail will be to go back to buying fruits and vegetable from the farmers' markets. I will record the results and share my experience in this table: 
 

So tell me, what do you do to reduce your plastic waste? Where and how do you shop?

And of course, wish me luck. 

Vered Balan,