Want to use less plastic?Here are some steps you can take at the grocery store

Albany, New York Nature wraps bananas and oranges in peel. But in some modern supermarkets, they are also packed or wrapped in plastic bags.

For Judith Enke, it’s the epitome of meaningless plastic. She also struggles with the baby food aisle, where rows of mixed fruits, vegetables and meats in disposable bags have replaced glass jars.

Less than 10% of plastic is recycled. Most are buried, burned or dumped. Glass, aluminum and cardboard have much higher recycling rates. Cardboard or paper packaging is biodegradable.

The global theme for Earth Day on Monday is Earth and Plastic. Global plastic production continues to increase and is expected to triple by 2050 if nothing changes. Much of it is made from fossil fuels and chemicals. As the world moves away from fossil fuels for power and transportation, plastic provides a lifeboat for oil and gas companies as a market that can grow.

The Earth Day environmental movement calls for an end to plastic for the health of people and the planet. People are increasingly breathing, eating and drinking tiny plastic particles, although researchers say more work needs to be done to determine the impact on human health. Millions of tons of plastic end up in the ocean every year.

Thousands of negotiators and observers representing most of the world’s countries are gathering in Ottawa this week to draft a treaty that would try to end rapidly escalating levels of plastic pollution.

Plastic is ubiquitous in modern society. Enke says this is evident every time you go grocery shopping. If shoppers want to reduce their use of plastic, there are some steps they can take.

On a recent trip to the Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany, Enke bought almond butter and yogurt in glass containers. She requested that her fish be wrapped in paper rather than put in a plastic bag. She avoided the bagged carrots and breezed past the lettuce in what she called a plastic coffin.

She kept reusable shopping bags in her car, a common practice since New York state banned plastic bags several years ago.

Even small steps can make a difference, as major supermarkets take note of requests for less packaging. Plus, our kids pay attention. “If they’re shopping with us and you talk about why you reach for the glass jar instead of the plastic jar, that’s an educational opportunity,” she said.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

AP: How can grocery stores avoid plastic packaging and products?

I tell everyone, you’re not going to be perfect, but do your best and focus on the things you buy the most. I just can’t keep buying those plastic orange juice jugs. So what I did with my juice is I bought a really nice glass jar with a lid. For juice and lemonade, I only buy frozen concentrate. You avoid plastic altogether. It will take a while to melt, add three cans of water. But most people can do this.

AP: Many shoppers start in the produce aisle. What are the techniques?

I brought reusable cloth bags because I didn’t want to use those thin plastic bags. So if I need a couple of apples, a couple of avocados, I just put them right into my reusable produce bag. I try to buy carrots in bulk instead of carved carrots in small plastic bags. I would never buy a banana if it came in a plastic bag, which is usually not the case in my stores, but I have seen it happen sometimes. Buying peppers in bulk is easy. I never put broccoli in a plastic bag. You know, you don’t need a lot of produce bags.

The real dilemma is fresh berries. Now they do come in a second type of plastic and should be recyclable. I know Driscolls is starting to sell strawberries in little cardboard boxes and I’m waiting for that.

AP: What will you do when plastic is unavoidable?

With biscuits, if it’s cardboard you can recycle the outside box, but the inside usually has a plastic bag or a wax bag that cannot be recycled. But if you have pets, you can use that wax bag or those little plastic bags. I don’t have pets, but my friends use bread bags and chip bags when picking up pet poop. So why buy pet waste bags when you can skip them.

I do use regular trash bags. I won’t be broken by this. I try not to fill it up. If you could create less waste, you wouldn’t buy so many bags. I think it’s important to compost at home if you have the space.

AP: Where are you seeing progress?

Homewares aisle. I’m excited about these changes. For detergents, you can get concentrates. I only use the powder in the dishwasher. I strongly recommend people avoid plastic pods. You can also recycle the cardboard boxes from soap powder. You don’t have to make it plastic. I also think the beverage aisle does have some recycling opportunities. Better than most other aisles.

AP: What can be done to give shoppers more choice?

The great thing about paper, cardboard, glass and metal is that they can easily be made from recycled materials. And it’s actually recyclable. You can put it in the recycling bin. And if littered, the paper in the cardboard won’t last for centuries.

If we were to pass strong packaging laws at the state or national level to reduce plastic packaging, packaging engineers would be thinking about what happens to the packaging after it is used. New York is considering a law to reduce plastic packaging. It won’t change unless we adopt new laws because companies’ voluntary commitments fall short across the board. This is the only way to solve this problem.