Here's How To Shop More Sustainably At Trader Joe's (Without Sacrificing Your Faves)

Trader Joe's recently promised to make some significant changes that will reduce plastic usage in its stores in 2019, including: cutting down the number of items sold in plastic packages in its produce section, replacing styrofoam trays in the meat section with recyclable ones, replacing plastic sleeves on greeting cards with compostable sleeves, replacing plastic flower bags with bags made from renewable material, and eliminating non-recyclable plastic and foil pouches from tea packaging.

Many Trader Joe's shoppers who had long lamented all the unnecessary plastic in TJ's stores were thrilled to hear these promises. While the chain is already working to roll out the changes, for those who haven't seen them in their stores quite yet, there are a few more sustainable choices you can make in your grocery shopping routine in the meantime. We spoke with Meredith Bay Tyack, the woman behind the eco-friendly lifestyle blog Meredith Tested and got her practical tips for shopping at Trader Joe's in a more environmentally-conscious way.