Here’s a scary thought for you – Australians currently use almost four billion plastic bags every year, and only around 3% of those are recycled. A vast majority end up in a landfill, or among the 8 million metric tonnes of plastic waste that chokes up our oceans every year. And we’re all aware of the horrifying impact this has on marine life and the ecology.
Single-use plastic bags were banned in Tasmania in 2003, South Australia in 2009, the Northern Territory and ACT in 2013, and in Queensland in 2018. But there’s so much more to do regarding this.
Are you the kind of person who wants to do good by the environment, but also has trouble remembering to carry your grocery bag every time you head to Coles or Woolworths? Real Food Grocer, a Melbourne-based startup, is delivering fully customised fruit and vegetable, meat, dairy and pantry boxes to the suburbs of Melbourne.
Fresh produce is delivered in recyclable cardboard boxes with no plastic bags.
“The single-use plastic bag ban has become such a controversial issue, but it really doesn’t need to be,” says Janelle Baird, co-founder of Real Food Grocer, which is an entirely Australian owned and run family business. “We understand that consumers are under a lot of cost-of-living stress and don’t take kindly to having to pay extra for bags. People are also leading very busy lives and can find it difficult to remember to bring their own reusable bags with them to the supermarket.”
