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We generally take salads etc to work for lunches, in a variety of different plastic boxes, lock n lock etc type things. Most of them are gubbed, broken or the wife has nuked them in micro with tomato based sauces in them and they're pretty much all due replaced.
I'm thinking glass boxes with those stretchy silicon covers? Only because I'm not aware of what else is out there. Are the covers any good? Last okay? Any more eco friendly than tupperware?....
I'd also like to ditch the cling film, are those beeswax wraps any good?...
All suggestions greatly appreciated!.
My experiance ass that the glass dish didn't last long before shattering and that was good because the plastic lids were as much good as turnips on toast.
Lock and Lock now make containers of recycled plastic. Same sizes as standard containers but green or brown in colour as only new plastics can be white or clear.
Aldi had some in stock last week.
Happy New Year!!
I'd go with the principle that if I get a couple of years or more out of a (recycled material or reused) plastic tub then I'm a country mile ahead of all the cling filmers and foilers.
There's probably less petrochemical in that tub than driving from here to work a couple of times.
Having said that if someone has a non glass, reliable alternative I'm all ears. 😀
No experience (yet) of beeswax wraps but they sound a little fragile and need re-waxing on a regular basis. Was intending to make some yonks ago, have all the stuff sitting in the cupboard and I think this will be a New Year's resolution!
I bought some of these a couple of years ago as I wanted to ditch the plastic.
They seem well made and sturdy, and all have survived oven/microwave/freezer/dishwasher/commute to work.
Sigg aluminium sandwich box.
I think plastic lock and lock boxes are fine for most stuff. Though I wouldn't put them in the microwave, even if they claim to be microwave safe.
Pyrex dishes are good for in the microwave. The stretchy silicon covers are useful, if you can find one the right size to fit your dish. They seem to last OK, though I ripped one by using it on a dish with a chipped handle, sharp edges.
There’s probably less petrochemical in that tub than driving from here to work a couple of times.
A 10 mile urban commute in a car is going to burn a kilo or more of fuel. A single plastic lunch container will weigh much less than a kilo. A single drive to work will burn more petrochemicals than a set of food containers that should last for years. Same goes for cling wrap. An entire roll is probably as wasteful as a single short commute in a car.
Not just petrochechemicals, also what happens after it is used. The cling film could disintegrate and end up as microplastics in the sea.
The cling film could disintegrate and end up as microplastics in the sea.
Highly unlikely if it's put into a rubbish bin and sent to either a landfill or incinerator. Or do you just throw your rubbish in a river?
Maybe dive into the history books? Our ancestors must have had a viable solution as the human race is still here. They must have had a solution to transport their lunches to the pits, fields etc? I'd guess it would be an eco friendly solution. Maybe a good excuse to eat pies and pasties as well lol.
Yep, you don't need to go far back either. I tend to look to the 1950's to see what people were doing for ideas. Food wasn't wrapped in plastic, items were packaged in plastic etc,.
For example I take my lunch in paper bags and we use glass jars for storage at home. Use a glass bottle for washing up liquid and then refill from a 10 litre container (albeit plastic)
If we need to use plastic then just make sure it is an item that will last many years and not be thrown away immediately or within a few months.
It isn't easy and it is not always perfect but I feel happier that I am at least trying.
Our ancestors must have had a viable solution as the human race is still here.
They used single-use pottery. If you dig under many modern cities, you'll find layers of discarded rubbish dating back to antiquity. Here's a photo of a Roman rubbish dump.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/monte-testaccio
Used ice cream containers. That is all we have ever used for lunch boxes or for keeping stuff in the freezer. Why buy a box to do a job, and then throw a perfectly good alternative in the bin/recycling?
I don't ever really buy ice cream in boxes, there's a really nice gelateria along the road from here, we tend to wander along there.
I'm not reading history books, digging up a Roman or looking for a petrochemicals argument, just wondered if there was something else out there.
Recycled lock n lock sounds probably the best option, beeswax wraps for sarnies (I find paper dries our the bread) and some of those silicon lids for stretching over leftovers.
Any better ideas?
Picked up one of these on a recent trip to Vietnam - not liquid tight, but otherwise great. Reckon you should be able to find similar on-line.
I’d also like to ditch the cling film, are those beeswax wraps any good?…
Yes, yes they are. Also feels nice to warm in the hands and mould around bowls. It’s not difficult to get a taught fit. We were given some freebies from another designer last year and these are still going strong:
Treated self to a bowl from the Eden Project, it’s made from coconut shell. Also got a nice spork (made from bamboo) to go with it. Thought it was expensive as shelled out (!) about £8 but looking back that was 10 years ago and they both still look and work fine. Coconut bowl has had boiling porridge in it a few thousand times and just keeps going and going! Also later found a coconut shell spoon which is just as hardy, and nice to use.
So my advice is to get a wooden or coconut-shell bowl or two (depending on size) and then wrap in wax wrap/s. Job done? Bamboo bowls are available https://www.amazon.co.uk/bamboo-Nourish-Handmade-Natural-Organic/dp/B07HFJPWKB
As are bamboo sporks, forks, spoons etc
Prepare the food then eat it immediately, it's only salad or mix it with your porridge.
*edit
taut fit.
😬
What about tifin type containers made of metal and can keep different bits of your lunch separate.
Beeswax wrappers +1. Got some as a gift for Christmas 18 used frequently, wiped occasionally, rewaxed once. Still good as new
Prepare the food then eat it immediately, it’s only salad or mix it with your porridge.
I make 2 days lunch at a time, so need some storage.
Thanks Malvern and big Gordy!
Prepare the food then eat it immediately
Pouch it like a hamster.
By lunchtime your work colleagues will be finding your Vito Corleone impression wearing a bit thin mind
I make 2 days lunch at a time
So do I. Then I eat it immediately when it's nice and fresh.
😂
Fair play for thinking about it nobeer.
If it's resource use your worried about I would caution not to fall into the same trap as the poly bag debacle.
For example one of those cotton shopping bags uses 100x resource input that a single use plastic, and the heavy duty bags >50. I would worry that some of these overly eloborate beeswax type things and earthenware contraptions would be like the cotton bag vs single use bag.
I get a couple of years of solid use out of a good quality plastic tub (say 400 uses). That tub will contain ~100g of plastic produced at massive scale in an efficient way. At the end of life it can be recycled, albiet not into another tub.
I also have issues with looking to the past, because usually this is based on some unfounded philosophy that the old times were better times. I bet a Cornish tin worker in days gone by would have given his right arm for a tupperware box, when he got caught in the rain with with pasty or sat on it in the horse and cart.
Someone got me a bamboo one last year, but I've also read that bamboo clothes aren't really eco at all.
Thanks Tom, hope Ieva, the kids and you had a nice Xmas.
Aye, I'm aware of the bag scales of production, cheers, it's a minefield when you start reading into it.
These looks rather good, made from food grade stainless steel:
Fair play for thinking about it nobeer.
If it’s resource use your worried about I would caution not to fall into the same trap as the poly bag debacle.
That arguments getting a bit like a broken record.
1) It was never about CO2 or resources, it was about litter. You now almost never see a plastic bag in the hedges and it's only been a couple of years?
2) The last 'alternative' was those degradable bags that were introduced by the big supermarkets shortly before the ban/charge. the material didn't biodegrade, they just turn to flakes/powder which was possibly even worse.
Same applies to bottle or can deposits etc. Those bottles aren't going to get re-used, the deposit amount bears no relation it's value, it's to stop them ending up as litter.
What's your rationale for saying "It was never about CO2 or resources"?
According to the UK Government's published and stated policy on the matter (A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment) it is intended to reduce the consumption of single use plastics. One of the other benefits is reduced waste and litter.
In the data on bag use they do trumpet the reduced number and bags, and therefore litter. This is partly because it has been a failure at reducing resource use and has actually led to an increase in resource use for providings things to put or shopping in. The avergae household buys a metric shit tonne of bags for life, negating and resource use benefit.
So, a wee update.
Bought a load of the recycled lock n lock from Aldi, a dozen of those silicon lids to replace the cling film, just need the beeswax wraps now.
Still both the best, buying more stuff, but this lot should last years.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Don't buy things that are not needed
ditch the cling film. I haven't used it in 30 years. Leftovers go in the fridge in a bowl with a plate on top. I don't miss it.
Storage - reusable stuff preferably something that has already had a use ie jam jars etc. Plastic bags that stuff from the shops come in - save and reuse.
What are you going to use these beeswax wraps for? think laterally and find a solution that is a reuse of something as in the plastic bags above
tomd - in scotland plastic carrier bag usage went down 80%
I don't buy anything that comes in plastic bags really, apart from strawberries n rasps, and those bags are shite.
Wraps are for sarnies.
tomd – in Scotland plastic carrier bag usage went down 80%
Yes, brilliant. However, 1 single use bag does not equal 1 "bag for life" in terms of energy and resource input.
Very roughly speaking, bags for life are between 10x and 100x more resource & energy intensive than a single use bag. No one uses bags for life for life, they buy and throw away by and large. The average household buys >1 bag for life a week.
Thus, you can drastically reduce the bag count but increase the resource use. The story was widely covered a couple of months ago.
No beer - my sandwiches go in a click seal box
Which you bought?....
Sales of plastic "bags for life" rose 26% last year to 1.5 billion - prompting a call for the standard price to be raised from 10p to 70p.
Greenpeace and Environment Investigation Agency research shows the bags are effectively "bags for a week", with UK households buying 54 a year in what was described as a "huge rise".
Stappit. Us humans really are a bunch of utterly bell-ended gorms.
research shows the bags are effectively “bags for a week”, with UK households buying 54 a year in what was described as a “huge rise”.
Does anyone believe this though?
Does anyone believe this though?
I don't.
Does anyone believe this though?
The ability of people to leave their brains at home when entering a supermarket is quite incredible, it wouldn't surprise me.
research shows the bags are effectively “bags for a week”, with UK households buying 54 a year in what was described as a “huge rise”.
Does anyone believe this though?
I shop at a big Asda in The North (don't hate me, it's huge and within walking distance).
The average punter there is buying new Bags for Life every single time. It's horriffic. 😩
Old ice cream tub for sarnies.
Why don't you believe it? It was based on data obtained from the supermarkets themselves and compiled by Greenpeace/EIA. I'm not entirely sure what benefit it is to the supermarkets to over report their plastic use.
The data I referred to early on relative resource use of different bags is an EA study that published a few years back.
My experience is that almost no one buys bags for life in supermarkets. Maybe partly because the plastic bag legislation is a couple of years older in Scotland, maybe because we are staying true to stereotypes
chakaping
Does anyone believe this though?
To turn it around, what data/evidence would you believe? And from where? Do you ‘prefer’ anecdotal or studies? Or ‘just a feeling I get when I read/see stuff’?
In 2019, 10 companies representing 94.4% of the grocery retail market reported over 1.5 billion bags for life, equivalent to about 16 million per 1% market share. This is an increase of about 26% on a market share basis, representing approximately 54 bags for life per household in the UK from the 10 supermarkets.
It is clear from this data that many people are simply swapping ‘single-use’ plastic bags for these plastic bags for ‘life’.
Some companies reported an enormous jump in sales of plastic bags for life. Iceland reported a tenfold increase from 3.5 million to 34 million, while Tesco reported an increase from 430 million to 713 million. Other companies reporting an increase in sales include Aldi (from 52 to 84.6 million) and Co-op (28.2 to 29.2 million).
Over the past year, there has been a 26% increase in sales of 'bags for life', representing 54 per household in the U
Happy to discuss any possible errors/bad data/here. Where to begin?
Calling them 'bags for life' is misleading as they won't last forever. Also use two supermarket plastic heavy duty bags which have been used for years but not sure whether these are still available. I see plenty of folk bringing their own bags in all different types of shops, keep several in my (large) handbag anyway.
TJ and Cinnamon Girl your fallacy of the day is:
https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/anecdotal
The data, provided by the people who sell the bags, and compiled by an environmental NGO paints and a different picture.
I can only comment on what I've seen, living in a high density area.
Wouldn't it be good if these bags were truly "for life" rather than a couple of years?
I've been using the same box to take my lunch to work every day since 1997. 23 years of daily use and the lid's still tight enough that i can take soup in it. I see no reason that I won't be having my lunch in it the day I retire.
It was part of a house wraming present (in a big box of kitchen stuff) from my friends uncle
It's an Addis 2.0l rectangular Foodsaver. Kinda like this
Mine is a black one, with a black lid. It's the only black one i've ever seen and it'll probably outlive me.
The irony, in case it's not obvious is that the 'bags for life' are made of much thicker plastic and often contain 10-40x as much plastic as the older style plastic bags. I.e. you have to use them 10 times to 'break even' vs the older thin plastic bags.
Perchy doing right, at least as far as not being wasteful 👍🏼 Talking of waste - I have tons of these PinkApple Matricpac takeout containers from many years of monthly takeouts from local chinese takeaway. if anyone wants 1 or 2 PM me. I use them for refrig/freezing meals in batches. Ideal for sarnies/salad. Not as strong as tupperware stuff but nearly as and they just keep going. Two sizes.
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(Thinks, wonder if local takeaway would let us use reusable containers with our names on)
and it’ll probably outlive me.
Unless it is incinerated you can be sure of that. It will mot decompose. Ever.
I would say the best thing to buy would be some second hand ORIGINAL Tupperware stuff. I have relatives using that stuff and still going strong 30-40 years after they were purchased.
I don’t know why plastic containers are so crap nowadays, the original Tupperware stuff is indestructible.
As I said earlier, I don't buy ice cream for eating at home, and I've not had a takeaway for years, so none of those ones either.
and I’ve not had a takeaway for years, so none of those ones either.
Why not? Recycling second-user makes more sense than buying new on the face of it*
*With the (arguably important) exceptions that buying and using new biodegradable options *can* be better for a number of reasons including
1. Helping grow and encourage sustainable products/industry/design/businesses
2. Inspiring and ‘normalising’ better options in the workplace.
Food for thought.
Why not?
Cos we don't eat takeaways, fairly obvious from that statement. It's not some kind of eco choice, I just prefer my own food and enjoy cooking.
Cos we don’t eat takeaways,
my mistake - thought was in response to my offer to distribute/recycle some 👍🏼
Wouldn’t it be good if these bags were truly “for life” rather than a couple of years?
Not really, they'd be so thick and heavy that the resource use would be mad.
If you compare an old style platic bag that was used once to get shopping then as a bin bag, to a cotton bag, you would need to use the cotton bag ~200 times for it to have a lower primary resource use. I think you're coming at this from the assumption that all plastic bad, when actually in some cases it might be the least worst option.
Personally I'm quite good at using bags for life until the arse falls out of them, most people aren't. A good solution would be to either up the cost of them significantly, or more effectively flip the incentive so customers get a discount when they bring their own bag. People have a strange aversion to "missing out" on a refund, while they can suck up extra costs more readily.
I use the Systema boxes, we have a couple of the deep ones and a couple of single sandwich boxes which all fit proper sized bread, the soup mug is good for transporting as well and hasn't been too ravaged by the microwave.
If you did want any takeaway tubs I could give you some of the huge pile I have in my loft, I keep them for odds and sods boxes so could give you some, I usually pass through twice a week. We tend to use them for leftovers or freezing meals.
I don’t know why plastic containers are so crap nowadays, the original Tupperware stuff is indestructible.
Nah, it gets gubbed eventually, my inlaws had stuff from the early 80's that the lids were all split on. As soon as the lip goes it's game over. Some went that sticky was as well IIRC. Takes a fair amount to do that mind.
Wouldn’t it be good if these bags were truly “for life” rather than a couple of years?
Not really, they’d be so thick and heavy that the resource use would be mad.
Why assume they need to be plastic? We have both heavy cotton and heavy duty plastic and either does fine, I've carted tool boxes about in them with no issues.
It's not the bags that are the problem as opposed to the end users.
Why assume they need to be plastic? We have both heavy cotton and heavy duty plastic and either does fine, I’ve carted tool boxes about in them with no issues.
Cotton is the most resource intensive material to make shopping bags out of, that's why. I just assumed that we would prefer to make shopping bags in the most efficient way.