When Shopping in Stores
With just a little bit of planning before going shopping, you can save a lot of plastic from entering your home and further reduce the amount of plastic you use!
| Plastic Products while Shopping | Plastic-Free Alternative | Ease of Replacement (Habit change) | Ease of Replacement (Availability) |
| Bags | Most stores give woven/ polyester bags now - however, even these are not 100% biodegradable. Compostable bags are even worse. Carry your own bags or take as few bags as possible while shopping | Easy | Easy |
| Fruits and Vegetables Packed in Plastic | Not only is this unnecessary plastic, it is also bad for your health. Take the openly available products. If required, leave the plastic at the store and tell them to take care of it instead of you carrying it home with you. | Easy | Easy |
| Multiple Plastic Bags for Weighing Fruits & Vegetables | Carry your own Bag or put multiple products in one bag (the cashier will put multiple labels on the bag with just a little bit of extra effort) | Easy | Easy |
| Food Products: Eggs, Cheese, Meat | Buy a plastic-free option, if available. Maybe the Fresh Paneer from your neighbourhood store is better than processed frozen cut pieces available in the supermarket anyway! | Easy | Easy |
| Milk Cartons | These are not recyclable (even TetraPak has only 2 facilities in India for recycling). Opt for Milk Packets instead and recycle those. | Easy to Moderate | Easy |
| Biscuits, Chips, Chocolate - Products packed in foil and plastic combined packaging | These are not recyclable - Opt for cardboard or clear plastic packaging (these are recyclable if clean). Better yet, opt for healthier snacks | Moderate | Easy to Moderate |
| Dal, Rice, Other Pulses, Sugar, Flour, Tea, Coffee - Dry Food products | Buy loose from organic stores if you have one close-by OR Buy cardboard or reusable jar packaging when possible OR Buy bigger packs instead of smaller ones | Easy to Moderate | Easy to Moderate |
| Small Packs of Products: Shampoo, Conditioner, Creams, Facewash, Other hair and skin products | More plastic, less product: Opt for the bigger packs if you must buy that product. | Easy | Easy |
| Disposable Products: Razors, Batteries, | Opt for Reusable / Rechargeable ones | Easy | Easy to Moderate |
| Hygiene Products: Baby Diapers; Sanitary Napkins | Opt for Reusable / Eco-friendly options as suggested in our Eco-friendly Product List | Moderate to Tough | Moderate |
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