To go back to non eco friendly versions to save money?

[troobleflooble]

For a while now I've been saving old coffee jars to store my dry goods in - I live in a very damp property so anything in a papery bag (eg flour) tends to get mouldy and spoiled. These jars are the perfect size to stack in my cupboard and fill the space really nicely. The only slightly annoying thing is that standard size packs of rice, pasta etc are too big for one jar so I end up having to decant them into 2 or more.

So I was really excited when I found a local zero waste store where I could take all my jars to fill with all my dry goods, I could get the perfect amounts and not have to worry about all the plastic packaging.

But. I am on a very low income and a strict budget. I noticed after my last trip to the store that actually it was working out almost double the price that I could buy the stuff I need for a lesser amount! For example, I could buy 2 1kg bags of oats from Aldi (where I normally shop) for £1.50. The zero waste store worked out at 2.56 for 1.2kg. Literally the only advantage is that I bring my own container and have no packaging waste.

I feel bad but wibu to revert back to supermarket stuff? I just don't think I can justify more money for less stuff if the only difference is slightly better quality and more eco friendly 😞

@LibrariesGiveUsPower45321

Switch to shopping in Iceland instead. They have reduced plastic by about 70% and are determined to stop use totally.

That's interesting. I wonder what their chips come in...

Just do what you can. It's not all or nothing. Every little bit helps. And if you cant afford to then leave it to those who can.

I know what you mean about the cost, the system needs to change.

I used to be in a wholesale buying group with my neighbours, and we’d split bulk packs of foods such as porridge oats and lentils. Like this one: www.essential-trading.co.uk/contact_buying_group.aspx
Or this:
www.suma.coop/order/food-group/

YANBU

change it back to what saves you money.
you sound like a responsible person but you shouldn't be financially worse off to save the planet. that's not right.
take care of yourself and do what you can.

I found the same at my local zero waste shop. The couscous I bought was exactly four times the price I pay in Asda. My friend said to me that this is the government's responsibility to address, rather than us as individual consumers and that I shouldn't feel guilty for choosing the supermarket. That made me feel better.

@LibrariesGiveUsPower45321

Also switch to glass bottle products eg ketchup, mayo etc.

Get an eco egg. Buy big bags of rice etc as it works out less plastic than the little ones.

I heard that glass was no better because of the fuel to transport the additional weight. Unless it's reused multiple times like milk bottles. Depends if you just focus on plastic or the overall environmental cost I think.

Being eco friendly often is far more expensive and it’s a luxury many people simply can’t afford. Don’t feel guilty about this at all, we just need to push supermarkets to drop the plastic.

www.essentialpackaginguk.com/2019/10/20/plastic-bags-were-created-to-save-the-planet-inventors-son-says/#:~:text=Plastic%20bags%20were%20invented%20to,in%20forests%20being%20chopped%20down.

I heard that glass was no better because of the fuel to transport the additional weight. Unless it's reused multiple times like milk bottles. Depends if you just focus on plastic or the overall environmental cost I think

It also takes a lot of energy to recycle. OP, YANBU. While they're a nice idea, a lot of these zero waste shops are a bit of a gimmick and sadly probably an expensive hobby for the owner.

They will be massively less efficient than supermarkets, so may not be greener when all aspects are taken into account.

Agree that government and large companies need to do a lot more.

We don't need plastic overwraps to sell cans in multi packs for example, the shop computers can do the discounts on single cans.

Why is junk mail not banned? Why is there not more loose fruit and veg? Only the delicate or very perishable ones need to be in plastic packaging, things like potatoes and onions don't.

From what I read plastic is great ecologically. What's not great is how we treat it. Not recycling, leaving it to get into oceans etc.
Reusable and recyclable plastic is a good thing if people weren't lazy and companies recycled right.

Why can't soft plastics be recycled? If the bags for life can, then why not rice bags and so on? The manufacturers could make them all the same type so no sorting couldn't they?

I think do the best you can within your budget and keep informed on things that you can do locally. Also things like buying more expensive meat that is of a higher welfare standard and just getting less of it and bulking it out with veg or using some vegetarian meals. So stick to your budget but don't give up trying to be an ethical consumer where you can.

@kowari

Why can't soft plastics be recycled? If the bags for life can, then why not rice bags and so on? The manufacturers could make them all the same type so no sorting couldn't they?

I agree. There should be push towards universal one

I'm still going to use the store for some things, it's really good for spices and things that I only need very small quantities of. I'll just try and make the best choices I can on the limited budget I have.

It's just such a shame that using environmentally friendlier options is so much more expensive and out of reach for some. At least I don't have periods so don't have to worry about sanpro 😂

YANBU.

You can still shop more sustainably in the supermarket - big box washing powder rather than capsules or liquids, vinegar in glass bottles, choosing products in paper or recycled packaging where possible, choosing big/economy packs to reduce the packaging of buying multiples.

I have to agree with pp btw that these shope are more of a gimmick than environmental choice so I would absolutely not feel bad at all