50 Acts of Green: Day Twenty Eight - Containers
When it comes to food preparation and leftovers, there is always the question about how to wrap or save or contain food. The convenience culture we have in America has created things like plastic wrap, aluminum foil, zip plastic bags, and plastic containers to answer these questions. However, three out of those four options are solely made out of plastic! More plastic! What in the world did we do before the invention of plastic???
I'll tell you: use glass, towels, beeswax wrap, and cloth bags in order to do what we do today. Can you see a difference in those materials? Glass and cloth are washable and recyclable materials. We really should be going back to using those materials again. Glass containers are washable, recyclable, and do not leech harmful chemicals ever. Cloth can be made from natural fibers and cleaned and reused until it wears out, at which point you can cut or tear it up and throw it in the compost pile to return to the earth. (Or use it in creating fire starters.)
If you haven't heard of beeswax wrap, it is cloth that has been covered in beeswax, which allows it to stick (without leaving residue) on glass containers instead of plastic wrap. Most beeswax wrap I have found is made from natural cloth and sustainably farmed beeswax. It works best when you warm it up a little in your hands when pressing it around the edges of the container. I'll also say that aluminum foil can be recycled in many places. If you clean it after using it, it can go in the recycling with your aluminum cans.
Some people complain that buying environmentally friendly glass containers or compostable bags or beeswax wrap is more expensive than buying plastic products. Which is true, they are more expensive. However, the plastic products are meant to be thrown away and bought more frequently than the number of uses you can get out of any other kind of product. So the cost of the plastic adds up while the one time fee of the glass or other container continues to work just as well as the day you bought it. Not only in the end run do you save money, you save the planet from plastic.
One small act of green, plastic use reduced!
I'll tell you: use glass, towels, beeswax wrap, and cloth bags in order to do what we do today. Can you see a difference in those materials? Glass and cloth are washable and recyclable materials. We really should be going back to using those materials again. Glass containers are washable, recyclable, and do not leech harmful chemicals ever. Cloth can be made from natural fibers and cleaned and reused until it wears out, at which point you can cut or tear it up and throw it in the compost pile to return to the earth. (Or use it in creating fire starters.)
If you haven't heard of beeswax wrap, it is cloth that has been covered in beeswax, which allows it to stick (without leaving residue) on glass containers instead of plastic wrap. Most beeswax wrap I have found is made from natural cloth and sustainably farmed beeswax. It works best when you warm it up a little in your hands when pressing it around the edges of the container. I'll also say that aluminum foil can be recycled in many places. If you clean it after using it, it can go in the recycling with your aluminum cans.
Some people complain that buying environmentally friendly glass containers or compostable bags or beeswax wrap is more expensive than buying plastic products. Which is true, they are more expensive. However, the plastic products are meant to be thrown away and bought more frequently than the number of uses you can get out of any other kind of product. So the cost of the plastic adds up while the one time fee of the glass or other container continues to work just as well as the day you bought it. Not only in the end run do you save money, you save the planet from plastic.
One small act of green, plastic use reduced!
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