Out-of-towners meet at Trader Joe's

Part of a mural at a Trader Joe's in Manhattan.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss a Trader Joe's in Manhattan, and how recycling doesn't have to stop at plastic shopping bags.

 
A man standing on the long checkout line Friday at a popular Trader Joe's in Manhattan turned to the woman behind him and asked if the store carried wine.

Soon, she mentioned she was from Portland, Maine, and he said he was from Boston, and they compared notes on wine sales at Trader Joe's in those cities.

I chimed in I was from New Jersey.

I praised this Trader Joe's on Sixth Avenue and West 21st Street for having the same prices as the store in Paramus I usually shop in. 

I had stopped there to buy three 1-pound packages of Organic Whole Wheat Spaghetti at $1.39 each.

When cooked, the 100% whole-wheat spaghetti is indistinguishable from conventional pasta, and it's sodium-free.

Trader Joe's Organic Whole Wheat Spaghetti at the Chlesea store.

Recycling wars

The wrappers from Trader Joe's spaghetti, Kashi bars, spicy Korean soup and ice cream, and the plastic bags my daily newspaper comes in all end up in a plastic shopping bag for recycling at ShopRite supermarkets.

I also recycle all of the plastic food wrapping from Costco Wholesale, which often bundles two or three containers of soup, mustard, ketchup, extra-virgin olive oil and other products.

The filmy plastic from the dry cleaners also ends up in the plastic shopping bag.

Even the plastic wrap from Costco's fresh fish fillets go into the bag after they dry out on the counter. 

 

Left to right, plastic bags from the newspaper, ice cream and dried coconut milk.

Heading to the Paramus ShopRite to recycle bags and food wrappers.