Excessive packaging for produce has become an unfortunate trend in many grocery stores across the globe. For Redditors in the r/Anticonsumption forum, it's especially frustrating to see companies use plastic packaging for items that don't require covering.
One Redditor in the forum recently posted a photo of individually wrapped potatoes at a Dollar General. Each potato was fully encased in plastic wrap.
Redditors were baffled by the image, questioning the packaging decision.
"Why can't we go back to natural coatings to keep food fresh?" commented one user.
"There is no need for plastic, since potatoes have a long shelf life as they are," wrote another.
The overuse of plastic is one of the major contributors to the overheating of our planet, and its waste has become such a staggering issue that former UN oceans chief Lisa Svensson labeled it a "planetary crisis" in 2017, per the BBC.
Waste is not the only problem associated with excessive packaging. The creation of plastic requires dirty energy that produces harmful pollution.
Plastics released nearly two million tons of heat-trapping gases in 2019, and 90% of that pollution was a result of the production process, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Some companies have taken steps to reduce their waste by swapping plastic packaging for more sustainable options. For example, Kraft Heinz Company replaced its iconic plastic shaker bag with reusable containers to prevent 900,000 pounds of plastic waste yearly.
There are also ways you can reduce your plastic waste at home.
Instead of using plastic lunch bags, for example, opt for products that incorporate eco-friendly recycled material. Another way you can reduce your waste is by properly recycling all plastic items, repurposing empty containers, and donating products that can still be used.
While most Redditors expressed their annoyance with the unnecessary use of the polluting material, others offered realistic solutions.
"This isn't even cost effective," one person wrote.
"They could just as easily sell unwrapped potatoes by the unit as wrapped ones," suggested another.
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