In the U.S., plastic is still largely considered to be an integral and necessary part of daily life. A stroll through any grocery store will reveal this unhealthy plastic dependence not only in the form of plastic grocery bags but also in the food packaging itself.
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Fresh produce, which comes in its own biodegradable “packaging,” is often wrapped in plastic or bundled into plastic bags and containers. Ears of corn come shucked and wrapped in Styrofoam and plastic; garlic cloves are peeled and shrink wrapped; even apples are sliced and packaged in baggies. Everything from nuts and cheese to milk and lettuce comes encased in plastic. Sometimes, the food is wrapped in plastic and then put inside another plastic bag or container.
It’s said that plastic bags tend to be used for an average of 12 minutes, but can take 500 to 1,000 years to break down in the environment. That’s why Emily Robb, a mother of three living in Portland, created NoPac Foods — a new place for plastic-free groceries.
NoPac Foods is set to open in Southeast Portland next year. The full-service grocery store will carry 100% compostable and recyclable packaging — no plastic anywhere in sight. Customers will be able to use sanitized containers to fill with groceries, then return to the store to be sanitized and reused. Products that don’t fit in a sanitized container will be wrapped in compostable materials, such as paper.
Part of the company’s zero-waste and eco-friendly policy also includes stocking the shelves solely with products that are eco-safe and fair trade. NoPac’s website explains, “At NoPac ‘zero waste’ means sourcing produce from pesticide-free sustainably focused Pacific Northwest farms, finding shampoos made with love and no plastic, and finding you the most delicious organic bulk ingredients we can find. While we can’t eliminate the complete need for food packaging in modern society, we can make sure that everything we do have is 100% recyclable in your neighborhood curbside recycling bin.”
You may not be able to find a zero-waste grocery store near you as of yet, but there are plenty of ways you can help reduce plastic waste.