Beyond Plastic Bags — Smarter Ways to Store Your Food
Beyond Plastic Bags — Smarter Ways to Store Your Food
Two movies, to the detriment of all life, introduced a product that changed our lives, have wreaked havoc on the environment.
One gives us the warm fuzzies every holiday season. The other tried to convince us that short, ordinary looking Jewish guys can be seduced by beautiful, long-legged, older women. Well they can, but that’s not the point. Coo coo ca chou Mrs. Robinson!
The movies:
It’s a Wonderful Life - 1946
The Graduate - 1967
These movies introduced “plastics” into the imaginations and lexicon of the general population. What they didn’t tell you was that Plastic pollution chokes ecosystems, clogs waterways, and harms wildlife through ingestion. As it breaks down into microplastics, these toxic particles contaminate our food, water, and air, directly threatening human health through ingestion and inhalation of micro-plastics.
The largest and most infamous plastic zone on Earth, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, covers roughly 1.6 million square kilometers (twice the size of Texas) between California and Hawaii, and contains an estimated 100,000 tonnes of plastic. The question I have is why no one has taken action to clean it up?
Our collective use of plastic is an issue that can no longer be ignored or justified due to their convenience.
Keep food fresh, save money, and reduce unnecessary plastic waste.
Plastic bags have become an everyday convenience. We use them for sandwiches, leftovers, vegetables, and nearly everything else in the kitchen. But there's a downside: most disposable plastic bags are used briefly and can remain in the environment for many years. And most can not be and are not recycled or recyclable. Years ago, after realizing how many boxes of Ziplocs, as a family, we were buying and trashing every month, I decided to wash and reuse them, whenever possible, to reduce the amount purchased and trashed. In fact, and according to guidelines from manufacturers like Ziploc and food safety sources such as America’s Test Kitchen, you can hand-wash, rinse, and air-dry zip-top plastic bags up to 10 times depending on their condition.
Fortunately, keeping food fresh doesn't have to mean creating more plastic waste. So, along with our guide to what is compostable and what is not, we’re answering basic questions that we receive at Green With Indy about alternatives to the use of plastic in food storage.
What can I use instead of plastic food storage bags?
Glass containers are an excellent place to start. They're durable, reusable, easy to clean, and useful for storing leftovers. Many are microwave-safe, although you should always check the manufacturer's instructions.
Stainless steel containers are another practical choice, particularly for lunches and foods that don't require reheating in the container.
Reusable silicone bags offer the flexibility of plastic bags without needing to throw them away after every use. They're especially convenient for snacks, cut vegetables, and freezer storage.
Beeswax wraps can replace plastic wrap for certain foods, including bread, cheese, and produce. They're not recommended for raw meat, and they require proper cleaning.
Even a simple covered bowl or reused food-safe jar can eliminate the need for another disposable bag.
Does switching to reusable food storage save money?
It can. Although reusable containers may cost more initially, using them repeatedly reduces purchases of disposable bags.
Proper storage also helps prevent food spoilage, potentially reducing grocery bills.
For restaurants and commercial kitchens, reusable storage systems can reduce reliance on disposable materials while supporting more organized food preparation.
What happens to food scraps that can't be saved?
That's where Green With Indy enters the picture.
Vegetable peels, fruit scraps, and other accepted organic materials can be separated for compost collection instead of being sent to a landfill.
Green With Indy offers residential and commercial compost collection services in Indianapolis, helping customers make waste reduction part of their everyday routines.
The takeaway: Reducing plastic waste and compost all compostable waste are two practical ways to create a cleaner, less wasteful home or business.
What can I use instead of plastic food storage bags?
Glass containers are an excellent place to start. They're durable, reusable, easy to clean, and useful for storing leftovers. Many are microwave-safe, although you should always check the manufacturer's instructions.
Stainless steel containers are another practical choice, particularly for lunches and foods that don't require reheating in the container.
Reusable silicone bags offer the flexibility of plastic bags without needing to throw them away after every use. They're especially convenient for snacks, cut vegetables, and freezer storage.
Beeswax wraps can replace plastic wrap for certain foods, including bread, cheese, and produce. They're not recommended for raw meat, and they require proper cleaning.
Even a simple covered bowl or reused food-safe jar can eliminate the need for another disposable bag.
Does switching to reusable food storage save money?
It can. Although reusable containers may cost more initially, using them repeatedly reduces purchases of disposable bags.
Proper storage also helps prevent food spoilage, potentially reducing grocery bills.
For restaurants and commercial kitchens, reusable storage systems can reduce reliance on disposable materials while supporting more organized food preparation.
What happens to food scraps that can't be saved?
That's where Green With Indy enters the picture.
Vegetable peels, fruit scraps, and other accepted organic materials can be separated for compost collection instead of being sent to a landfill.
Green With Indy offers residential and commercial compost collection services in Indianapolis, helping customers make waste reduction part of their everyday routines.
The takeaway: Reducing plastic waste and compost all compostable waste are two practical ways to create a cleaner, less wasteful home or business.
