Just Say No To Plastic Food Storage Containers

Glass storage dishes are classic and classy. They are what moms decades ago used to store their extra food and leftovers. Vintage Pyrex refrigerator dishes anyone??? Then we had to go and get all “modern” and start using plastic. Why did we DO that? Why did we mess with such a good thing?

Yes, glass usually does have a problem with breakage but plastic has its own issues, many of them. Did we really need to be so concerned about glass breaking that we had to start mass producing an alternative that is so indestructable it will sit in landfills FOREVER. In addition to the fool hardy practice of filling our planet with plastic it also has many unsavory chemicals in it and the propensity to leach them into things it comes in contact with. Plastics used to store food often have BPA, PVC, and phthalates. They are all things we don’t want to come into contact with let alone eat.

BPA or Bisphenol A is a hormone mimicking chemical that can cause a lot of health problems, especially for children. PVC is known as the poison plastic. Phthalates are a family of industrial chemicals that are used as plastic softeners or solvents. They can damage the liver, the kidney and the reproductive organs. Why exactly do these sound like safe ingredients for dishes to store food in? Call me baffled!

This page highlights some great alternatives for storing your food, alternatives that don’t use harmful chemicals. Don’t go to all the trouble of feeding your family healthy meals only to store them in toxic containers. Just say no to plastic.

The first thing you can do is look to see what you can recycle and reuse so that you don’t have to buy anything new. Buy your food in glass whenever possible and then you have glass to reuse.

Juice bottles
Condiment containers
Pickle and kraut jars
Pasta sauce jars
Coconut oil jars

All these things can be saved and used to store food in after you give them a good cleaning. Store your leftovers, sugar, dried goods, pre-cut veggie snacks, anything you could ever need or want to store you can store with stuff you already buy typically. If you lose the lids or they get rusty try these silicone food savers (below). They actually stretch to fit containers perfectly. You can even put them on canned goods to re-seal.

The next step is to see what you can buy second hand? Why buy new when you can buy used and save items from being tossed into the landfill? Check out thrift stores, estate sales, yard sales, and Craigslist to find what you need. There are lost of vintage glass refrigerator dishes out there to be had…I find them all the time.

If and when you do need to buy new though look into these options…

Glasslock Snapware Tempered Glass Food Storage Containers with Lids 20 Piece Set – If you need lots of food storage containers then this is a good buy. Donate all your plastic ones and start fresh maybe?

Lifefactory Glass Food Storage with Silicone Sleeve – Lifefactory makes some awesome glass water bottles. I have several. So I was super pleased to see that they now have glass food storage and refrigerator dishes. The silicone sleeve makes them less breakable and thus a good way to transport leftovers in your lunchbag the next day. There are three different sizes.

Abeego Flats Food Storage Liners –  These can replace suran wrap, tin foil, and even plastic food storage bags. They are slightly adhesive and malleable at room temperature but they stiffen when cooled – holding the shape you created. This means you can take all kinds of foods on the go from sandwiches and wraps, to fruits and veggies and more. Made of all natural materials: hemp, organic cotton, beeswax, tree resin jojoba oil, and hand washable with soap and water.

Flip & Tumble Reusable Produce Bags – I love these bags and have many of them myself. You can take these with you shopping and collect loose fruits, veggies, grains, beans, etc. at the store, bulk bins, or at the farmer’s market. Then you can store them in the same bags if you wish and you never have to take the flimsy plastic produce bags from the store.

Not only is plastic free getting easier, the options above look better too!