Zero Waste in Cape Town: Here you can shop unpacked
Hi, I'm Tabea - lifestyle editor, vegan brunch fan and trained yoga teacher with the aspiration to go through life as consciously as possible. This is also the case on my travels.
In January, I travelled to Cape Town. I offset my flights through my airline. Once there, I continued my IMPACKT: I searched for the best vegan restaurants, visited sustainable wineries and addressed the question: Where can you shop unpackaged in the South African metropolis?
You can read my answer to this question here.
On my first day in Cape Town I am - I have to be honest - shocked by all the plastic I encounter here. Especially the supermarkets are full of it - every apple, every cucumber, just everything is wrapped in (mostly) superfluous foil.
So at the beginning of my trip I learn: If you want to shop unpacked in Cape Town, you'd better go to the market and bring a jute bag. (This has been part of my Zero Waste travel kit for a few years now, which you can read more about here).
Fortunately, there are local weekly markets in Cape Town where you can buy everything. Or rather, where you can spend the most wonderful hours ever. Markets here are true "community gatherings" - places where everyone comes together to eat, discover and realise what variety of crafts and cuisine Cape Town has to offer.
My top tip: the Oranjezicht Market
Probably the biggest highlight for me is the Oranjezicht Market. I arrive here - after a walk along the promenade - at 10 am on a Saturday. The fresh sea breeze combines with a smell of coffee, incense and grilled food. Countless stalls are set up under four large tents. The ground is covered with light bark mulch.
In the first tent, I look at natural cosmetics, plants and linen clothes from local traders. Afterwards, a picture of fresh vegetables and fruit opens up to me - laid out in woven baskets, beautifully decorated with flowers and ears of corn. All around, you can buy local products - jams, warm sourdough bread, freshly squeezed juices, kombucha, honey, nut oils and cheese. Unlike in the supermarket, the papaya here is not wrapped in foil. And after paying, it ends up in the bag I brought with me.
I enter the second tent and am pleased to see a familiar sight: Ditto has a small ice cream stand and educates about the sustainable benefits of oat milk.
At the latest when I stand in front of the display case of Thank Goodness, which is filled with vegan chocolate cakes, sugar-free cupcakes and Raw Snickers, I get hungry.
I've come to the right place in the next tent. Here, every foodie's heart should really beat faster. And definitely that of vegans, too. The selection of plant-based options is so large that I can hardly decide: Do I go for a bao with Pulled BBQ Jackfruit or rather the Pizza Margarita from the stone oven? But when do I eat the Handcut Fries? And when the cabbage salad with sesame seeds and caramelised almonds?
I get a fresh salad with falafel and samosa with pumpkin filling. We eat at long tables with a view of the water. My cutlery is made of wood, the plate of cardboard. There are bins on every corner encouraging people to recycle.
The mood is exuberant. Young and old sit together here. Everyone is eating, drinking and chatting. I say nothing for a moment - not only because my mouth is full, but because the samosas leave me speechless. Their shell crisps, the filling tastes sweet and nutty. The vegan dumplings are the best thing I've eaten in a long time. Before I leave the market, I buy another three of them in a small paper bag.
(Opening hours: Saturday, 8.15am - 2pm; Sunday 9am - 2pm; Wednesday 5pm - 9pm.
More info here).
Sustainable in Cape Town - more markets where you can buy local:
Zero Waste in Cape Town: My conclusion
Shopping unpackaged in Cape Town is possible, but requires some research and preparation. In the "normal" supermarkets you can hardly avoid plastic. Especially in the fruit and vegetable section, I look slightly saddened at superfluous foils and packaging.
That's why my tip is to find a nice market. Here you can not only shop without packaging, but also experience culture and togetherness at the same time. To live even more zero waste, take your own jute bag with you. Then you can hardly go wrong at the markets.
Even more IMPACKT in Cape Town
The hours and experiences at the different markets are definitely among the highlights of my trip. But of course: Cape Town has even more to offer. On the one hand, vegan restaurants and cafés (which I wrote about for you here) provide variety; and on the other hand, the wineries with sustainable versions. I'll tell you which ones particularly convinced me in my next blog post. Have fun reading!
Love,
Tabea
