plastic packaging Archives - Because Turtles Eat Plastic Bags

Fall leaves, orange and red, on a tree branch with sunset light background. — Image by Hans from Pixabay.

Fall is my favorite season. The weather cools, the air is less humid, the colors change, and it is more enjoyable to be outdoors. I love the family memories we’ve made. We’ve played in fall leaves, hunted pumpkin patches for the best pumpkins, picked apples, and enjoyed the smells and flavors of autumn. And of course, Halloween is one of our favorite holidays!

But the waste from Fall can be great. For Halloween alone, Americans will spend $13.1 billion in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation.¹ With that comes a great deal of waste: Halloween costumes, candy, food, and beverages come with a lot of disposable plastic packaging. In the current economy, I think most of us need to save money, and we need to limit waste.

Zero waste is such a great concept, but not always practical. If we aspire toward limited waste, that will still make a huge difference to the environment, our homes, and our psyches.

Here are some ways you can save money, be healthier, and limit waste this Fall!

Pumpkin Spice Everything

Cup of cocoa or coffee with marshmallows and cinnamon sticks on top, sitting on a wooden board, surrounded by pumpkins, orange berries, pine cones, and green leaves. — Image by Ylanite Koppens from Pixabay.

Besides the traditional pumpkin spice coffee, there’s now pumpkin spice-flavored everything…from cereal and cookies to candles and hand soap, and even baked goods and dairy products. My son insisted I buy pumpkin spice-flavored whipped cream at the grocery store this week! I say indulge in a treat or two, but resist the urge to buy pumpkin spice everything, especially those products that come in disposable packaging (such as whipped cream in a metal can, which is not recyclable where we live). Though that and one pumpkin spice latte is all we’ve bought this season, so we’ve limited waste in this category.

You can always make your own pumpkin spice bread, coffee, or cupcakes at home. This will save money and limit waste, and maybe even be healthier. (Then the house will smell good, too.)

Also, if you get a pumpkin-spice latte or coffee, drink it at the coffee shop in a ceramic mug – or bring your own insulated travel mug!

Pumpkins & Jack O’Lanterns

Three orange pumpkin Jack O'Lanterns sitting outside surrounded by fall leaves and colors. — Image by Mayur Gadge from Pixabay.

Who doesn’t love the sight of a beautiful pumpkin? Many use them as decorations, and though expensive, this is far better than buying cheap plastic decorations that are likely to break or degrade quickly. Especially if you compost or consume the pumpkin before it starts to rot.

It’s better to pick your pumpkins at a pumpkin patch because freshly cut pumpkins last much longer than pre-picked ones from the store. Plus, picking your own pumpkins from a patch is a lot more fun!

If you’re going to carve a Jack O’Lantern, save the seeds to make a great snack! My son looks forward to this part almost more than the Jack O’Lantern part, honestly. This limits waste, and it is a super healthy snack.

Simply scoop the seeds, wash them and separate them from the pumpkin pulp, and dry them on a towel. Next, season them with extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, and cumin powder. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer, and roast at 275° for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Then eat!

Seasoned pumpkin seeds on a white plate with yellow/gold pattern around edge. — Photo by Marie Cullis.

The most important thing with a Jack O’Lantern is that you compost it once you’re ready to discard it.

Apple Picking

Pink-red apples dangling from branches with green leaves, and a blue sky background. — Image by beccazsky from Pixabay.

If you can get to an apple orchard, this is a wonderful way to celebrate fall. There is nothing more delicious and healthy than a crisp, fresh-picked apple. At most self-pick orchards, you can purchase a basket that you return with every year, instead of using plastic bags. Picking apples is healthier because the fruit is local and fresher (though not necessarily less expensive than apples from the grocery store). You’re likely also supporting a small business.

You can bake any number of apple yumminess and with limited waste, especially if you compost the apple peels and cores. Or, make apple cider vinegar from them (which I’ve done with only mixed success). That would make it zero waste!

Bonus if you go to an orchard where you pick apples and a pumpkin!

Basket of apples with flowers in a vase in background, on a wooden table. — Photo by Marie Cullis.

Fall Leaves

This is an easy category to limit waste. If you read my article on Fall leaves disposal, then you already know that leaves should never be bagged in plastic or sent to the landfill. Fall leaves biodegrade on the ground, in the compost, or in the woods. I don’t recommend burning because they can spark and start fires, and also because the smoke is not healthy to breathe, even from a distance. Check with your local municipal entity to see how you can safely discard leaves. Please read my article for additional information.

Halloween Costumes

Phot from inside of a Spirit Halloween store, showing black shelving with costumes in plastic packaging, cement floor, orange signage. — Photo by Phillip Pessar on Flickr, Creative Commons license (CC BY 2.0).

New costumes can contain chemicals, come in plastic packaging, and are expensive. The easiest way to save money, limit plastic packaging waste, and be healthier is to buy costumes second-hand, from any store that sells used clothing. The materials will have already off-gassed, making them less toxic to you.

The next simplest method for costuming is using what you already have at home, which limits waste and saves money. Trading costumes with friends or getting them at clothing swaps/sales is also an option.

Or, you can do a combination of those.

While I have purchased a brand-new costume once, my son usually insists on piecing together his own costume (and not for environmental reasons). Last year, he wanted to be Roronoa Zoro from the One Piece anime series. He wanted a costume like this:

Person in costume of character with green hair, white shirt, green haramaki, and black pants and swords. Brown background.

Online, the costume was more than $50, packaged in plastic, and did not include the earring or swords!

At the thrift store, we bought a small women’s white shirt with an opening at the chest, and rolled up the sleeves. We then found a black and green striped shirt that I cut up and resewed into the haramaki and the tie on his arm. I also found a pair of children’s black pants in his size at the same thrift store. We used a black bandana that we already had at home for his head, since he couldn’t dye his hair green due to a theatrical performance he was in at the time. And he already owned the three play swords.

Child dressed up as Roronoa Zoro, white shirt, 3 swords, green mid piece, black pants and bandana. Parking lot background. — Photo by Marie Cullis.

The most challenging part was the three-piece earring. Since my son’s ears aren’t pierced, I decided to make something similar to what Zoro wears. I made this earring from a paper clip to form a “clip-on” earring, and attached three pieces of nose bridge strips for cloth masks (bought during Covid times) and painted them gold. I was pretty proud of this costume and thought he looked amazing!

Child's profiled face, showing black bandana and gold earring up close. — Photo by Marie Cullis.

For more Halloween costume ideas, Pinterest is a great resource. Also, Kathryn Kellogg has a great article and video on Halloween costumes you may already have in your closet, which I’ve linked in the footnotes below.²

Halloween Candy

This is a difficult waste stream to avoid, but it can be done.

If you’re giving out candy, there are lots of options! Read my article on Halloween candy wrapper waste to find ways to avoid plastic waste. The best option is to buy individually wrapped candy in bulk (like foil wrapped chocolates) or boxed candy (Junior Mints, Milk Duds, Nerds, etc).

If you’re trick-or-treating, navigating that waste stream is much more challenging. The best approach is to recycle any wrappers you can (paper, cardboard, etc.) and limit the amount of candy you bring home. You can’t control what others give out, and you’re grateful that they are spending their hard-earned money on giving free candy to hordes of children, including yours. It’s best to limit how much you collect, and if you get too much, share it with friends, family, or coworkers.

Happy Fall and Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween illustration, orange background with black silhouettes of jack o'lanterns, owls, cats, bats, and a spider. — Image by Alexa from Pixabay.

I hope this article gave you some ideas about how to save money and limit waste. Leave me a comment if you have a question or suggestion. Thanks for reading, and please subscribe. Have a lovely Fall and Halloween!

Footnotes:

Page, Halloween data center, National Retail Federation, accessed October 19, 2025. ↩︎
Blog post, “Ethical Halloween Costumes: Plus Six Costumes You Have in Your Closet,” by Kathryn Kellogg, goingzerowaste.com, updated January 23, 2024. ↩︎

An ALDI store, looking up at the exterior entrance, blue sky background. — Photo by Mike Mozart on Flickr, Creative Commons license (CC BY 2.0).

My family gave grocery shopping at ALDI an honest chance for three months. Grocery inflation has skyrocketed over the last few years, and we’re always trying to get our grocery costs down.

The Shopping Experience

I don’t mind using a quarter for the shopping cart, since it keeps the carts stocked at the front. But my spouse hates that part. We don’t mind bagging our own groceries, since we often do that at other grocery stores. The checkout process is expedient, and everything rings up the correct price (not something I can say about most other stores).

ALDI stores are much smaller than regular grocery stores, so there’s less traversing when searching for the items on your list. There are fewer choices because they mainly carry their brand, except for a few name brands on the shelves. So no decision fatigue. And there’s no need to keep up with coupons there. It is less crowded than regular stores (at least early in the morning when I shop).

Quality

The quality is ok…but just ok. Here’s the rundown by section.

Produce

Occasionally, their produce spoils quickly, and citrus fruits can sometimes be a bit dried out inside. The flavor of some produce is disappointing, likely due to modern farming practices where crops are picked too early and chemically ripened later, which diminishes both taste and nutrition. ALDI certainly isn’t the only company guilty of that.

Produce shelf with Broccoli in plastic trays and plastic wrap.

A large portion of their produce comes exclusively in plastic packaging, such as the broccoli pictured above. It’s on a plastic tray, wrapped in plastic wrap. The broccoli is cheaper, but I can get broccoli crowns without packaging at Publix or Whole Foods for not much more.

Cherry tomatoes, which are almost always sold in plastic packaging, regardless of the store, were cheaper at ALDI. One brand sold at both ALDI and Whole Foods was $2 more at Whole Foods.

Meat

The meat is ok, but questionable at times. The chicken seems fine, though not as flavorful as organic chicken. The ground meat has a lot of “sludge” in it, which I think is just water content. The “sludge” cooks off, but makes the meat seem pasty and less meaty. We’ve also seen some pretty extreme discoloration.

Pink ground turkey in plastic. — This was the top side of the packaged ground turkey. Very pink.

The underside of the same pink ground turkey, only with a discoloration issue making it more beige. — The bottom side of the packaged ground turkey was very discolored. It smelled fine and was safe to cook, but obviously off-putting. I imagine ALDI, like other large chains, uses some type of dye or coloring to make the meat look pink and therefore “healthy.” I find the discoloration disgusting and have stopped buying it, even though it’s a good deal.

To maximize savings, we bought meat in bulk at ALDI, then portioned it out using plastic zipper bags before freezing it. Although I don’t like using plastic, it was a necessary part of our ALDI experiment.

But one time in those three months, we caught ALDI overcharging for chicken. They charged for the total weight of the package of chicken, including the plastic tray and absorbent meat pad. We purchased just over 3 pounds of chicken, and when we took it out of the package and weighed it with zipper bags, it weighed just 2 pounds 12 ounces.

ALDI family pack of chicken breasts, green and red label with family pack in yellow banner. — ALDI family pack of chicken breasts.

ALDI label showing weight and cost. — ALDI label shows that I purchased just over 3 pounds of chicken breasts.

Chicken breasts in zipper bags on a food scale, showing 2 pounds 12 ounces.

What a rip-off! This means we should have paid just under $11, not over $12. This probably happens far more than I know, and at other stores too. I wish we’d checked every time. We’re trying to make a practice of checking now, regardless of where we shop.

Frozen fish

ALDI frozen wild caught salmon package, showing a cooked salmon and vegetable dish on package front.

The frozen fish is ok…but not always. We bought a pack of frozen salmon like the one above. To my dismay, each fillet comes sealed in its own individual plastic pouch. Worse still, on one occasion, we purchased a pack and found an unidentifiable “mystery” fillet in it. It might have been tilapia or another type of white fish…but it was not salmon. It was a different color and texture. That’s why we called it the mystery fillet. Unfortunately, we forgot to photo-document this experience.

Cheese

Overall, they do offer a large variety of cheeses. However, we found most lacked flavor.

Eggs

We never tried the eggs since they weren’t cheaper than what we buy at our regular stores.

Pantry

Some items are not cheaper at ALDI. Organic pasta, for example, is about 30 cents cheaper at Whole Foods. But olive oil, avocado oil, and spices are cheaper at ALDI…at least sometimes. I think the quality is lower on these items, though. If you shop the sales at regular supermarkets, you can often buy name-brand equivalents for the same price.

Processed Foods

Crackers, chips, granola bars, cereal, and breads at most supermarkets are suspiciously full of too many ingredients, unless they are organic/non-GMO. ALDI’s brand is no exception. Here is the ingredient list from a pack of bagels:

Photo of the back side of packaging for ALDI plain bagels. There are many ingredients and nutrition facts listed.

Cost

Did we save money? A little bit.

But not much. We don’t buy many processed foods, which might be where the biggest savings at ALDI lie. Instead, we mainly focus on fruits, vegetables, nuts, cheese, and a bit of meat. Our greatest savings came from pantry staples like oils and spices.

That said, the prices are hit or miss. Some items are cheaper, while others cost more. I think it really depends on what other supermarket options are nearby and the sales they have running.

Shopping at ALDI also did not eliminate the need for us to go to other stores, simply because they just don’t carry that much variety.

Packaging

Everything comes in plastic packaging, often excessive packaging. This is not a place for zero waste and plastic reduction. This is a big deal for me, obviously. ALDI also has a section of household items, toys, etc., that are full of plastic packaging and likely chemicals. Those are not things we buy and therefore cannot save money on.

Will we return to ALDI?

There were parts we didn’t mind – like bagging our own groceries with our own cloth bags. We’d do that anyway.

Did we save enough money to warrant the sacrifice in quality? I don’t think so.

Last, the excessive plastic packaging is somewhat of a deal-breaker for me. We have to save money where we can, but at other stores, I can buy things like produce without packaging.

So, the answer is, we may shop at ALDI occasionally. But it will never replace our regular grocery shopping.

Have you tried ALDI? What was your experience? Feel free to leave me a comment about it. Thanks for reading, please share and subscribe!

Tag: plastic packaging

Have a Spooky Halloween and Fall with Limited Waste