It’s not easy being a plastic-free first
An organic supermarket chain wants to go completely plastic free, but the lack of alternatives is making it hard to achieve.
Commonsense Organics coowner Marion Wood said she would make her six stores in Wellington and Auckland plastic free immediately if she could. ‘‘But, at the moment, it’s not possible.’’
Commonsense Organics sells all its fruit and vegetables loose, and has a ‘‘refillery’’ section where customers can bring in their own containers and take away bulk-food items such as cereal and flour.
This meant a food shop could be done ‘‘entirely without plastic’’, Wood said.
The grocery store also had herbs and spices wrapped in cellophane that was made from plants and could be recycled, and its food-to-go was packaged in sugar cane, Wood said.
Wood had not yet found a solution to packaging meat, as food safety issues came into play. However, she was determined to be the first grocer in New Zealand to go plastic free.
‘‘It’s always an expensive thing to be a pioneer. But we think this is a very important thing to do, so we are moving as fast as we possibly can in that direction,’’ Wood said.
Wood had refused to stock some products if she felt they were ‘‘over packaged’’, she said.
Commonsense Organics was constantly looking for alternatives, including plastics that were home compostable, she said.
Most compostable plastic had to be commercially disposed of, however, as kerbside recycling did not offer that option.
Wood wanted the Government to ban all plastic bags and packaging as it would ‘‘pull people in the right direction’’, she said.
In addition, the plastics industry needed to take responsibility from ‘‘cradle to grave’’, and consumers needed to choose reusable alternatives. ‘‘I think everybody needs to play a part in this.’’
‘‘It’s always an expensive thing to bea pioneer.’’ Marion Wood