“I really wonder how people come up with such ideas”

It’s hard to find anything in grocery stores that isn’t packaged in plastic – and that goes for fruits and vegetables that are already packaged thanks to Mother Nature.

After visiting a Walmart in Idaho, a shopper shared his frustration with the r/Anticonsumption community after finding individual heads of garlic wrapped in plastic.

What is happening?

The post doesn’t provide much context other than a photo of dozens of plastic-covered bulk garlic heads supplied by Spice World for sale to the retail giant.

The Reddit user captioned the photo: “How do I stop this?”

While most commentators acknowledge that plastic waste is a major problem, many point out that companies often wrap individual fruits and vegetables in plastic to keep them longer and reduce food waste, which is also a global problem .

Someone else said: “Just don’t buy food packaged in plastic, it’s probably the best thing you can do.” »

“Sometimes I really wonder how people come up with ideas like this,” shared another.

Why are garlic bulbs packaged in plastic a concern?

Garlic packaged in plastic is problematic for several reasons. While this can help reduce food waste and save consumers money, the chemicals in plastic can leach into food and water, posing risks to human health.

Given that the world produces more than 440 million tons of plastic per year and most of this material ends up in landfills, oceans or other natural areas, plastic covering garlic will likely only contribute to the plastic pollution.

In fact, the United Nations Environment Program notes that around 36% of all plastics produced are for packaging – including for single-use products such as food and drinks – but that around 85% end their life cycle in landfills or as unregulated waste.

Plastic waste not only releases toxic gases that warm the planet when it decomposes in landfills, but also releases dangerous chemicals into the environment that can harm wildlife, soil and water. And if plastic ends up in the ocean, marine animals risk getting tangled or suffocating.

The plastic industry is responsible for about 3 to 4 percent of global pollution, and that figure could triple by 2050, according to the Ocean Conservancy.

Is Walmart doing anything about this?

According to Walmart’s website, the company is taking significant steps to combat plastic waste throughout its supply chain. It works with its suppliers to reduce packaging waste and design recyclable packaging. By 2025, the goal is to achieve fully recyclable or compostable packaging for its in-house label and provide on-product recycling instructions to consumers.

Walmart also began offering collection bins for plastic items in its U.S. stores in 2021 and launched the “Beyond the Bag” initiative in 2020 to explore alternatives to plastic shopping bags. It has also deployed community recycling units at select Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, where customers can drop off items containing aluminum and certain types of plastic.

That means plastic-wrapped garlic could soon be a thing of the past.

What are we doing more broadly to combat plastic waste?

Many scientists and companies around the world are working hard to find alternatives to plastic. For example, Apeel Sciences makes a plastic-free edible coating for fruits and vegetables, and Aldi is introducing sustainable packaging for its butter products. Algae packaging could even soon become a reality, thanks to packaging startup Sway.

We can also reduce plastic pollution by switching to sustainable alternatives to plastic products, like reusable water bottles and grocery bags, and by learning about recycling opportunities in our cities.

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