Stop Putting Produce Stickers Down The Drain – They're Doing More Damage Than You'd Think

When you get home from the grocery store with a fresh batch of produce, the stickers that come on each fruit or vegetable are likely the least of your worries until it creeps up on you mid-bite or wash, having been stuck on at random. So you do away with the nuisance — but how? If you're letting it wash down your drain, you need a new sticker disposal method. While the stickers seem harmless, and are usually no bigger than a blueberry, they can cling to the inside of your drain pipes, or wind up caught in water treatment facilities or ocean water. Sure, produce stickers are small, but millions of them are mighty (and not in a good way).

Produce stickers are there for the convenience and efficiency of the retailer you purchase them from. Each one has a unique price look-up code, making it easier for the cashier to tell which of the five apple types you're buying. Unfortunately, most of the stickers aren't biodegradable. Produce stickers are made with a thin layer of vinyl that can stand up to the packing, shipping, and refreshing produce showers that occur at the grocery store until the time of purchase. This also means that the stickers aren't edible, and while you can't avoid eating or drinking all microplastics (sorry), you can avoid eating produce stickers. Just be sure to dispose of them properly.

We're all, hopefully, looking for small ways to make grocery shopping greener. But it seems at every turn, there's another eco-enemy like produce stickers. To avoid bombarding our sea friends with more plastic or causing a future plumbing disaster, take steps to toss the stickers responsibly or avoid them altogether. Instead of getting your produce from a large retailer, opt for a local farmers' market. Not only will this help you support your local farmers and purchase produce that's actually in season, but these selections typically don't have or need price look-up codes. So you'll have no sticker to worry about.

Another way to mitigate the sticker problem is to take care of it as you're putting away groceries. The best time to wash your produce is before you put it all away. Take this time to hunt down the little stickers and throw them out. Since the stickers aren't biodegradable, they shouldn't be placed in your compost bin either. Even though it's tempting to leave the sticker on the banana peel since you don't eat that part, it should be removed before composting. The best way to make sure the sticker does the least damage is to throw it in the trash bound for a landfill. If the landfill doesn't sit right with you, you can always try making something out of the stickers. A cooking utensil holder covered in produce stickers might be a fun and quirky kitchen staple.