Conscious Consumer - Green Tip

I encourage people to make environmentally conscious choices because we all have to solve this climate crisis. Albert Arnold Gore, Jr, American Politican

Aluminum, plastic or wax?

Ever since the first Tupperware Party, people have been happily storing food in plastic. But baggies and plastic wraps are piling up in landfills quicker than you can say "zip lock".

Every year, Americans use enough plastic wrap to cover all of Texas. In Canadian terms that's enough plastic wrap to cover all of Alberta and most of Nova Scotia. Currently no plastic wrap is recyclable. That means it ends up in landfill and plastics have a long lifetime - as long as 1,000 years.

As to toxins in plastic research suggests that no food should touch the surface of plastic wrap because of concerns of leaching. It is also suggested not to microwave or freeze foods in plastic containers. At issue is DEHA [Di(2-ethylhexyl)adipate] a softening compound added to plastic products to make them more pliable. Studies are showing DEHA can migrate into food at high temperatures. Though it is not contained in Saran Wrap, it has been, and may still be, an ingredient in some other brands of plastic wrap.

So what to use? Aluminum foil takes first place.

  • Unlike waxed paper and plastic wrap, aluminum foil is available in 100% recycled form and is recyclable in most areas (when it's clean).
  • It withstands heat and cold and works better than plastic and waxed paper at keeping moisture in.
  • It's oil-free. Foil is not made from petroleum, unlike wax and plastic products.

Keep in mind that aluminum reacts with anything salty or acidic and could end up in those kinds of food - and yes, you can have too much aluminum in your diet.

Reduce waste and your daily plastic intake by storing lunches and leftovers in readily available, safer materials. Many alternatives last longer. Ceramic and glass are great for food storage because they're non-reactive and go from fridge to microwave and back. Stainless steel is also great when you're not zapping.

Plastic by numbers.

Some plastics, like PVC (#3), polystyrene (#6) and polycarbonate (#7) contain hormone disruptors or other nasty chemicals. Stay healthier with plastics #1, 2, 4 or 5 .

 

 

OP