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Let’s talk about food packaging.
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Here in the Philippines, walking in the produce section of a grocery store and seeing a single bell pepper wrapped in plastic is so normal. It’s really alarming considering the country is the 3rd largest contributor to plastic waste.
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I’m by no means close to living waste-free. I’m still figuring out my options to see what I can do. Bulk food stores aren’t at all common here, but there have been more popping up and I really hope to see more in the years to come.
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At present, I’m focusing on what I can do—and that is to purchase produce and items such as rice, beans, and bread without any packaging as often as I can. I bring my own containers as well as prioritise local produce. I say no to single-use utensils and packaging materials whenever I can.
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Sometimes I’m still caught in that situation at a restaurant with leftover food, and that food usually ends up in a single-use container so I can take it home. I slip up and I’m still working on it. I contribute to the waste that end up in landfills, even our oceans. I still purchase products that come packaged and just end up throwing the wrappers out once I’ve used them (swipe left to see some of the packaged items I have). _
What I really want to do now is to be more conscious of what I buy and consume, that go beyond just food but also clothing (this is for a completely different time).
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I know this isn’t easy to do for all of us, especially if the only option you have is the produce from grocery stores. At the same time, I know that a lot of my fellow Filipinos are struggling to make ends meet and get themselves out of poverty so efforts towards the environment just aren’t at the top of their priorities. There’s only so much we can do given our time and effort, and I’m just really grateful that I have the energy and effort to put into being more conscious of what I consume.
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I hope we can make this space a positive one. We’re all working towards different goals in our lives so I hope we can respect and support each other no matter where we are on our journeys because at the end of the day we’re going to need to work together if we want to save this planet. ?
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