To ask for tips reducing food plastic?

[AstroKate]

Firstly, I know there's a thread already going for a few weeks on plastics as a whole. I am trying to cut down our single use plastics but it's like peeling back layers of an onion-every time I think I've reduced it in some way, I uncover another area I hadn't considered

So I'm trying to focus on one area at a time. I've been conscious recently of the amount of plastic in the fridge. If there are leftover veg, I'll often cling film over the bowl, if we open some ham etc, it'll go in a zip lock plastic bag.

As these are food contaminated, I tend to throw them away after use (but I do reuse where I can if not raw food etc).

This is something I'd like to reduce or ideally stop altogether but have limited space for Tupperware both in the cupboards and fridge. My friend suggested beeswax paper but I found it wasn't airtight and the food often spoiled

Can I ask for tips to reduce this or some environmental quality packaging I can reuse and am not aware of?

I don't mind spending a bit more than I am or spending something up front to save in the long term

Any tips gratefully received

well for things like beans or tins i just pop a pringles lid over the top.
i use plastic takeaway boxes for most things but if you dont have space then i guess you could try the sillicone stretchy wrap things. probably have to have a look on an eco site. or type in youtube.

where abouts are you in the uk?
there may be a zero waste shop near you but they can be expensive, i cant afford them.

A good way to reduce plastic is to buy the big massive bags of pasta for £2.50, or the big massive bags of rice, sugar and tea bags (although once i found out that there are tiny bits of plastic in tea bags to seal them i switched to loose leaf - you can get a strainer that goes in the cup for £2 each at tiger and they are so good)
i have been trying to reduce plastic for 2 to 3 years now and it honestly feels like an uphill battle.

probably the best thing i can suggest is get into baking? but i only have the energy to bake in the winter because it warms up the kitchen. in fact me and dh had so much fun baking different bits and bobs this winter that i didnt have to have the heating on at all. which saved us hundreds of pounds on food and energy.

also if you have a garden then consider composting. it is sooooooo good. the main problem with landfill is the methane (dont quote me) that the rotting food produces. they cant break down effectively in a landfill and it is just bad.

also i stopped using sponges. now i use cut up clothes for rags. i dont even sew the edges, its a dishcloth-- i let it fray.
and i use bar soap instead of fairy liquid. it took a few weeks to get used to the grip of plates but now i find it so much better.
there is no taste or smell on the plates and no streaks which is what stopped me in the first place,

i also used to be a bleach freak and spent SOOOO much money on cleaning products. now i just use water for everything and soap and water for raw meat.

i have found that leaving out the bleach has made my sense of small sooooo much more sensitive. and on the whole i feel better about myself for trying to make a difference.

do you have any children? itd be nice to get them involved.

i have also have started growing food and i want to kick myself. it is so easy and cheap and the windowsills (dont have a garden) are full of colour and i feel so happy every day looking at my plants .

im currently growing peppers, tomatoes, cucumber and spinach.
spring onions regrow if you put them in a glass with water,. just cut off a bit and it grows back! i couldnt believe it.

also keep eggs in fridge and smell milk and cream before throwing it out. cream actually is fine for 2 weeks + after the sell by date. i was throwing half of it away before i started smelling it. i feel like a fool for believing the sell by date.
and batch cook and freeze if you have space,. i never buy freezer meals now because i just make a big pot and freeze 4 or 5 meals out of it. so freaking easy. saving so much money. try it all,, its great

sorry for the length
you got me excited

I buy a pack of good quality ziplock bags and wash and reuse them many times, the Ikea food bags are quite heavy duty. If I wash them in the same way that I wash a plastic box, I would say that they were hygenically clean enough to use again. I also save plastic packaging like bread bags and cereal inner bags and wash them and use them for storage.

Fake name,
Great tips! Thanks so much. I am definitely going to stop using teabags.

WRT plastic to keep things fresh in the fridge, I find the beeswax wraps really good. They need to big enough to cover things.
I also find round bowls in the fridge super annoying for the amount of space they take up. Square plastic boxes take up less room.

At the moment I am meal planning for the next couple of days only, and doing regular small trips to the shops instead of weekly trips as then I can respond to the leftovers with my meal planning more quickly so I’m not suddenly finding myself with 5 day old leftovers that I hadn’t planned for.

I am also going to start getting a veg box delivered from my greengrocers because I have noticed how much plastic supermarket veg comes in.

Milkman brings glass bottles?

Good luck!

I don't have cling film or sandwich bags. I just put things in the fridge with an upturned plate on top of them, or in an old Tupperware container/ice cream tub/jam jar/ casserole dish.

You can make beeswax wrappers for covering food containers. They are very simple and way cheaper than buying them.
I use glass to store things in the fridge and cover with those way things.
I decided to use wax paper to wrap things, like sandwiches, cut fruit etc in, Then I discovered wax paper is coated in a petroleum based product so not very green. I switched to a paper coated with a natural wax, think its soy.
I switched to parchment paper instead of tinfoil on baking sheets etc.
We all have re usable water bottles, very seldom use single use ones.
I dont buy prepackaged fruit an veg, tho the loose stuff still need to get put in a plastic bag ( they get annoyed at supermarket if you dont put it in one)
They way most things are packaged these days makes it very hard to not get plastic with your food. I try to buy in glass bottles where possible, or cardboard with as little plastic in as I can.
My biggest reduction was the wax paper for storage, you can buy bags too so that eliminated 90% of my plastic bag use, and the wax cloth things. I dont use cling film at all now.

I re-use the plastic tubs that mushrooms come in (I know, so wrong, hopefully they will bring back paper bags for them...) meanwhile at least this plastic isn't single use in my home!
I use those for food in my freezer... I will buy lots, cook and freeze it. Courgettes, carrots, mushrooms, peppers. I got fed up of freezer bags.
I have a lot of plastic tupperware style things too but they weren't the right size.
And I use ceramic dishes for meals in the freezer... and pop a bit of foil over the top when it goes in the freezer. (Because before it was put in a plastic bag...)
I use foil a LOT more than cling film / plastic bags.
I remember a friend complaining about sandwich bags... she bought some expensive paper type bags but they weren't practical. I said "what about foil" and it was a lightbulb moment for her!!!

Be careful putting opened tins in fridges... not sure what it is but heard that it wasn't good for you or the food. These get decanted into tupperware.

I don't put fruit and veg in plastic, I either use cloth bags or just loose.

Morrisons is great for loose if you don't have a greengrocers.

I've started to keep all our takeaway boxes, wash them out and they can be used for storing food, cupboard / drawer organisation, makeup etc. I usually just put a small plate over food in the fridge that needs to be covered. You can also buy biodegradable cling film alternatives I believe.

these are great from ikea - like Tupperware boxes but glass with bamboo lids, lots of different sizes.

You can buy washable silicone zip bags.

Theoldtrout- I don’t put carrots, courgetttes in bags. If they don’t like it - tough!

This thread has reminded me that I need to sort myself out with cooking stuff from scratch which we normally get pre-packaged. The big one is pilau rice - the stuff you stick in a microwave. I’ve just found a quick and easy recipe, so will be giving that a go.

I pretty much hate cooking (bored with it after sooooo many years!) and I’m shattered when I get home from work - but I must try harder.

@onlyjustme Tinfoil may not be plastic but ti's one of the worst things you can use. I watched an episode of Ray Mears once and he talked about it. Just a quick google search but "In fact, aluminum foil is even more wasteful than plastic wrap by nearly every metric, including fossil fuel consumption, aquatic toxicity, and greenhouse gas emissions."

I reuse the plastic packaging from other stuff to wrap things in.

Plates to cover leftovers: I’ve got Pyrex ones from my student days, which are handy as i can see whats underneath.

I bought some paper grocers bags for packed lunches, and wooden disposable spoons as the kids seem to fail to bring back the plastic ones.

Not used cling film in a very long time. Foil rarely too.

I use old glass jars for lots of bits of food in the fridge. (Left over sauces, small items etc). I have some old tupperwares and some plastic ones from takeaways that I use. I have a tin in the cupboard where I store all old plastic bags (from rice, pasta, bread etc) and use these to wrap over Avo's or over some food. So I try and use anything that we have - whilst still trying to cut down.

I have started buying pasta, rice etc from a plastic free shop but there are times I run out and can't get to it - so then when I do buy in plastic I reuse those bits of plastic - I haven't bougit sandwich bags, freezer bags for 2 years now.

I have managed to cut down our plastic by around 70% but it takes effort and planning where I shop. I go to small veg and fruit shops that sell loose, bakery and I use my own bread bag or paper etc.

Luckily wine still remains in glass and chocolate in paper!

Oh wow, you guys are amazing! Starting with @Fakenametodayhey who's thread I think will take a week to get through and implement!

I do usually batch cook so freeze meals ahead and using take away containers has been a light bulb moment for me! And something as simple as a plate over a bowl instead of cling film I had made me go 🤦🏻‍♀️-of course!!

For those who have kindly recommended things like paper coated bags, ikea heavy duty bags etc -do you links you might share? I'd really appreciate it!!

We do have great recycling where we live so paper, plastic, glass and food collection so I do make sure all food waste goes there (but try and limit it as much as possible)

Interesting comment about smaller shops rather than weekly ones-I am guilty of buying in bulk which probably does mean I end up covering/wrapping half of something!

Silicone lids for things in the fridge. I like the Charles Viancin ones but they are quite expensive - however most of mine were picked up in TKMaxx. I also use them on top of bowls in the microwave which contains splashes and spitting so reduces having to clean out the microwave as often! We use ours a lot though. I'm sure you can get cheaper alternatives though.

Good quality Tupperware style boxes - I like lock and lock and the screw lid systems ones.

Foil can be (and will be) recycled unlike most plastic. It can also be used several times if you're careful with it. I think Bacofoil actually sell one that is made from recycled aluminium.

Reusable net bags for buying loose produce in supermarkets.

This time of year, make your own icepops for home use - you can get silicone calippo style moulds or ice lolly moulds to put fruit juices etc in.

*sistema not systems (autouncorrect 🙄)

I have started to put leftovers in glass jam jars - keeps the family on their toes too checking whether it is actually apricot jam or duck fat .

@Nearlythere1
Ooops.
Was of the uneducated opinion that it was relatively environmentally friendly, we recycle it... thought like cans, tins etc it was better than plastic. Sandwiches could go straight in a box...

I have pyrex containers with lids.Preprepared meals go in the freezer so I can cook,microwave wth them too.They stack in the cupboard easily and are also used in the fridge for leftovers especially if there's not enough room for the bowl and plate.
E use the local greengrocers mostly so no wrapping or a paper bag.If we get fruit veg at the supermarket loose,if they comment,which to be fair most don't I just say that I couldn't see the paper bags.
Bread is the annoying one and I don't have enough time to bake a couple of times a week and our local bakery is only open when I'm at work.
I compost and have a worm bin and grow what veg I can in my little garden.
We really need food producers/supermarkets not to over package though,why does broccoli/carrots/parsnips /apples need a plastic tray and cling film?What happened to the paper punnets?

Take each improvement as a win.

Look at:
Better food planning
Bowls with a plate on it
You will find it just gets better by shining a light on it

Keep up the progress.

these link lids are great- airtight and reusable.

forgot to say that they stretch to fit most containers x

Those silicone stretch lids, how do you use them in the microwave? If you leave them on tight, don't things explode? But if you try to uncover a small steam gap, won't they then come off?