Do you have a pressing problem, annoying anxiety or community conundrum? Jasminda Featherlight, our resident roving Agony Aunt, is here to help. Jasminda will be responding to questions from our News Of The Area papers on a rotating basis. Send your concerns to Jasminda care of edit@mcnota.com.au and include your title, initials and suburb.

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Dear Jasminda,

I have taken on the plastic free challenge in the lead up to Plastic Free July, but when I go to the supermarket everything is wrapped in plastic packaging. Also, I keep forgetting to take my reusable bags with me and I’m spending a small fortune on new ones each time.
Mrs HQ, Salamander Bay

Dear Mrs HQ,

I’m very pleased you brought this up, because although supermarkets are responding to the backlash from their plastic bag use and phasing them out, there is still plastic everywhere. Cucumbers are wrapped in plastic, chopped up pieces of pumpkin and potato are wrapped in plastic (because apparently we’ve not only lost our minds, but also our ability to chop things up), mushrooms are pre-sliced and wrapped in plastic, and all this before we even leave the fruit and veg aisle. From there it’s just plastic city.

Given that our beautiful waterways are in a right old mess at the moment from the shipping container spill, plastic is on the public’s radar more than ever.

Now, the last line in your conundrum is easily solved. Since you probably have close to 50 reusable bags due to your forgetfulness, you just need to go to the pantry (right now, Mrs HQ, I want you to go right after you’ve finished reading this sentence; you can come back to me later) and put at least half your reusable bags in the boot of your car, in fact all readers do it now. I’m about to do the same.

Back so soon? Wasn’t too difficult was it? Now for the next dilemma, you can pop your fruit and vegies into one of your reusable bags, thereby saving the need to put them into the grotty trolley or another plastic bag. Don’t buy the pre-chopped rubbish. It’s heaps more expensive per kilo anyway. Or, you can do what they did on that vigilante YouTube video and gather with fellow rebels, discard all your plastic as you shop, make a big pile of plastic at the checkout, and maybe join together in a flash mob dance where you pretend to be happy little cauliflowers, carrots and cucumbers.

Alternatively, shop at one of the many farmers’ markets where they use string bags or baskets. I hope this helps.

Good on you for trying to make a difference.

Carpe diem,
Jasminda.