But tucked amid the electronics, books and other items you ordered are piles of air pillows, foam peanuts and bubble wrap. Often there’s a huge box to hold a tiny product. The thrill of speedy convenience quickly can be replaced with the guilt of wasteful packaging.
Fortunately, you don’t have to give up online ordering. Here are some ways to reduce waste when shopping online.
Contact customer service
When you order online, let retailers know that you’d like as little plastic packaging as possible.
You should get a reply saying that a note has been made on your account. It may take some time for your request to actually make it through the system, but feel free to follow up if you keep receiving packages with lots of plastic waste.
Give feedback
If you receive an order with an excessive amount of unnecessary packaging, be sure to let the retailer know. Likewise, if you were pleased with minimal or zero-waste packaging, let them know too. Sometimes a retailer will send an email asking for feedback after a product has shipped.
Shop frustration-free
To find products shipped this way, search for items in the link above or enter “frustration free packaging” in the search bar after the name of the item you’re looking for. You can also look for the phrase “frustration-free packaging” in the shipping details when you add an item to your cart.
Combine your orders
Do you really need that phone-charging cable right away or can it wait until the hair gel is ready to ship in a few days? Even though you might get free shipping on your orders, no matter how small they are, combining them is smart for several reasons, points out Eco Mama.
“This not only reduces the amount of boxes and packaging needed for your orders, it also reduces the amount of planes and trucks involved in getting them to you. This reduces their use of fossil fuels and lowers their carbon footprint. Indirectly, it also reduces your carbon footprint since you’re the reason behind those deliveries.”
When you get to the shipping page, always choose the option that lets you ship deliveries into the fewest number of packages.
Shop packaging-free
The Wally Shop — which is only in Brooklyn, New York, right now with plans to expand — delivers fresh groceries to your door with all reusable packaging. The company’s tagline is, “You take care of the earth — we’ll take care of the groceries.”
