¡Hombre, let's talk! Guy's grumbling about unnecessary packaging

Spain (how to get to Spain by train), sun, sea and mountains. Olivas y aceitunas, vino rojo y blanco and dark-haired señoritas with dark eyes. Markets, fresh vegetables, fruit, queso de cabra, but if there isn't any I won't turn down cow's cheese either. Empanadas, pan de pasas... ¿Bolsa? What? No, no necesito bolsa. ¿No me escuchaste, hombre? I really don't need a bag... hmm, great. ¡Muchas gracias, no! All I can do is grumble about unnecessary packaging. Or is there another way?

Last updated: September 13, 2023

Compostable bags in supermarkets

Yes, I often couldn't avoid supermarkets (mostly) in Galicia. In the Czech Republic I avoid temples of consumption (when I'm not delivering flyers), but when traveling it's hard to plan where I'll be at what time, whether local tiendas will be open, or if there will be any at all, right? So perfection goes out the window.

Supermercados naturally sell quesos at the chilled counter. They wrap the cheese in waxed paper and then without hesitation wrap it in a compostable bag. They stick a price label on it. Not even a virus could get through. ¡Salud!

But what to do with that compostable plastic bag? There's a pictogram on it saying shoppers should throw it in the orgánica after use. And it serves its purpose very quickly. It's thinner than regular plastic bags and usually doesn't survive removing the price sticker. Which you absolutely must remove (unless you plan to just look at the contents), because it guards the knotted opening.

But how is the poor españolito supposed to figure this out? For decades they've been told not to throw plastic bags in general waste but in the yellow container. Now, when they're finally acostumbrado and collecting good feelings one after another for their sustainable/ecological/great/exemplary behavior (from throwing away dozens of plastic bags daily), they should suddenly throw "plastic bags" in bio-waste? ¡Que va!

The supermercado manager would naturally object that it's a step toward sustainability and remind us that when a compostable "plastic bag" gets into nature, it will (and they won't even be lying here) harmlessly decompose over time. But still... do we really need to wrap everything five times in plastic when your own mesh bag or box would solve it? Maybe something like a reusable box, if not your own.

Cuddling empanadas with croissants forbidden

In small bakeries, cheese shops, fruit stands etc., they're very eager. Credit where credit's due, but there's just too much of that enthusiasm. Must be the temperament?

My own mesh bags work fine, but suddenly when weighing, the staff skillfully tosses the mesh bag into a plastic bag. When the staff is slow, I try to stop this disaster. But the salesperson just smiles and with the faith of someone providing above-and-beyond service, tells me: "Mejor así". Yeah, I must be crazy for not wanting that extra bag. When the hombre is giving it to me for free!

In the bakery they stuff each type of pastry into a paper bag. As if that fragrant French elegance (croissant) doesn't want to snuggle with a lovely fragrant little empanadita. As if sweet bread (pan dulce - pan is Spanish for bread/pastry of all kinds, pan dulce is sweet pastry) doesn't want to be with whole grain bread (pan integral).

Señor, what don't you like? The bag is paper after all! ¡Venga, hombre! That's replacing one package with another. ¡No, cálmate! I don't need it in a plastic bag too, I want to eat it right on the street!

Transforming grumbling about unnecessary packaging into action

When you constantly get more and more bags that you didn't ask for, that you often directly refused, soon there are more than un poco.

I pondered how to deal with this ecological catastrophe. There had to be a solution. I remembered a habit Veronika and I established in the Czech Republic. Whenever someone brings us a bigger plastic bag or we get something in one, we put it in a special container. When we go on a trip, we take it with us and fill it with trash we collect along the way.

This transforms negative into positive. So we've cleaned up several trails and beaches from bits of litter. It stopped bothering us that we don't always successfully defend against the plastic/paper flood of disposable packaging.

Note: dear reader, this doesn't mean you should now bury me in plastic bags!

A hug from being moved

I'm sitting in a panadería in the small coastal town of Noia when a guy comes in with a canvas bag for a baguette. The lady drops it in there like it's no big deal, he slaps a euro in her hand and disappears into the heat of the street.

I can't believe my eyes: ¡Un abrazo, compañero! I wipe tears of emotion from my eyes. I've finally found a kindred spirit! I smile and carefully sip from my cup of té negro. I disdainfully ignore the sugar in its paper packet, with a little cookie resting beside it in plastic foil.