30 Days to Zero Waste (Day 24: Use Containers at the Butcher and Deli)

Yep, there's even a solution to avoiding packaging when buying meat and cheese. To avoid the unnecessary packaging, bring your own containers to the butcher and deli. The employees will put your container on the scale, zero the weight, and weigh your items directly in your container. If they cannot tare the weight, ask them to weigh the product on a piece of paper so that you can compost it later.

Getting your meat and cheese items this way saves so much time! The items don't leak in your bags on the way home and once you get home you don't have to transfer your items into other more durable containers.

Of course, I can't talk about meat consumption without discussing the environmental impacts livestock production has on our planet. Like fashion, livestock production has and is causing unbelievable amounts of damage to the environment through wasteful practices like the over use of antibiotics and air pollution. Choosing a zero waste lifestyle is about lessening our impact, right?

I think it's important that we consider making some changes like reducing our meat consumption. Choose to participate in Meatless Mondays or make some lunches meat free. Not only is consuming less meat beneficial to the environment, it's also beneficial to our health and our wallets. Meat isn't cheap! My husband and I have slowly, over the past year, reduced our meat consumption to a couple days a week and have seen considerable savings and an improvement in our overall health.

Secondly, I think it's important that we support farmers who practice sustainable and ethical meat production. I have found that sourcing meat and dairy from local farmers, results in the best options and supports better practices. If you're unsure, question their sustainability measures. It doesn't hurt. The more we pressure them, the faster they'll change