Grocery stores can be disturbingly wasteful.
U.S. supermarkets throw away an estimated 30% of their food — that's about 16 billion pounds of wasted groceries a year. The EPA estimates that almost 25% of all waste in landfills is plastic packaging, much of which comes from food packaging sold in grocery stores.
But one Australian supermarket is giving customers a greener way to shop. A viral video from the Instagram account @oceanrebuild shows new sustainable measures in Woolworths Metro locations around Sydney.
The clip shows how shoppers can enjoy a number of environmentally friendly features.
There is plastic-free packaging for fruits, which cuts down on wasteful single-use plastic. There's also a refill station for laundry and dish soaps so customers can reuse their containers instead of buying new ones and throwing them away, which also reduces plastic use.
The stores sell freshly made pasta without packaging and host an "Urban Gardens" initiative that lets customers buy fresh herbs grown right inside the store.
"They're literally putting a new definition to locally grown," the video's narration says.
In a statement about the Urban Gardens, Woolworths Metro Director Justin Nolan described the project as "an exciting platform for Woolworths Metro to create greater awareness for innovative Australian farming methods, helping us grow a greener future."
Instagram users also seemed excited by the concept. Many took to the comments to express their enthusiasm.
"Wow, that's awesome!!" one said.
"This is so exciting to see! Love the garden idea but the fresh pasta really took my breath away 😂 amazing!" another commented.
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