Bring Your Own Containers

Did you know that you can now bring your own containers along to some supermarket deli’s?

New World, Pak N Save and Countdown supermarkets throughout the North Island are now accepting containers from home for food purchased from the butchery, seafood and deli departments.

All BYO containers have to be clean, dry and able to seal fully. The helpful staff will tare the scales with your empty container first so the additional weight is not included in the price.

Unfortunately, in the deli it’s their policy to wipe the container first with a paper towel and then dispose of it in landfill bins where it is unable to decompose and will therefore release methane gases and contribute to climate change.

I suggest requesting to keep the towel and compost it at home in order to not cancel out your good deed. Hopefully after some more lobbying they will ditch this unnecessary step.

This is another way we can help to reduce the amount of plastic going to recycling, which does have a significant carbon footprint and often an uncertain end.

At the time of writing this supermarkets in the South Island were not fully on board, if you are in the South check with your local store to see if they offer this service, if not keep asking and maybe get an enthusiastic friend to do the same.

This update is from Trash Talking Mama Hayley Crawford