It’s July 1. Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians. Today is also day one of our Plastic Free July Challenge. If you haven’t yet made the decision to join in, maybe this month’s goal in the Year of monthly waste reduction goals will be the idea to get you started. Our July goal is no more sandwich bags and plastic wrap.
With one exception that I will get into in a minute, saying goodbye to single-use plastic food storage is one of the easier changes I have made on my waste reduction journey. There are just so many other food storage options available.
This post was originally published in July 2020 and updated in January 2023.
Sandwich bags and plastic wrap
In one of my early posts, I confessed my troubled relationship with plastic wrap and how I ditched it in favour of reusable containers and silicone lids.
Then, in Easy swaps for litterless lunches, I spoke about how our forefathers somehow survived in the pre-sandwich-bag days. I shared simple changes we have made to reduce lunchbox waste in our household.
But what about other plastic storage bags?
But, I have to be honest. There is one type of plastic bag that has been more difficult to eliminate – freezer bags. I haven’t been able to give them up completely. I know I could freeze my food in containers but they take up a lot of space. It’s a lot easier to squeeze a bag of food into the freezer than a hard container.
As a result, freezer bags are something I may not be able to give up completely. Although I have been able to significantly reduce the number of bags we use by making some simple changes:
- Washing and reusing freezer bags as many times as possible.
- Reusing plastic bags from frozen fruit and vegetables instead of new freezer bags.
- And, of course, we recycle the bags when we’re done with them so they don’t end up in the landfill.
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Do you have any tips on how to reduce plastic food storage? Share them with us below.
Thank you Michelle. Using silicone lids/covers, and cover bowls for the fridge use a saucer or plate as a cover and clean,old dish cloths & tea towels (not liquids) even paper bags with an elastic band.
Cheers!
You are right! Plastic is everywhere. I am also trying to be more conscience when it comes to plastic. Thanks for this!
Thanks for reading. I am learning a lot from this challenge.
I am going to have to start doing this. Haven’t even thought about it really. I definitely am now. Thanks for sharing
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed reading.
This is something I need to work on. I always try and remember to take reusable bags with me when I go shopping though.
Reusable shopping bags are a great start! One small step at a time.
It’s been a while since I stop using plastic and change it into shopping bag. I always have it on my bag so I don’t need plastic when going outside to buy some groceries. It’s really a great habit to help reduce plastic usage 🙂 Thanks for sharing this motivation!
Thanks for reading. I keep my shopping bags in my car so I always have them. It is a good habit to be in.
My husband and I don’t do too bad with plastic sandwhich bags, we much prefer reusable containers, even with throwing things in the freezer we find they stack better and are neater and easier to find things. We do use freezer bags for steaks, pork, chicken and hot dogs but if we have left over spagetti it goes in a reusable container. We do wash and reuse our bags. We note on it what’s in it and date and then only reuse like for like and after it starts looking ragged or has a hole then we chuck it. We can at least recycle them here which is good. As long as they are washed.
I would probably use more reusable containers in the freezer but my husband loves to cram so much stuff in our freezer that there’s barely room for anything. LOL I try to use containers and mason jars for some things in the freezer though. Every little bit helps.
I’m pretty good with plastic bags, but I find plastic wrap so difficult to give up. It’s so hard to go away from the simple solution when you’ve been doing it so long!
I agree. Some changes are so difficult to make. I feel like I have done all the easy stuff so the rest of the way will be a challenge.
I’m like you, Michelle. The plastic freezer bags are really hard to give up. But I have seen some reusable (silicone, I think?) food bags that might work in the freezer. I reuse plastic bags *washing them time and time again* until the brand-name is no longer distinguishable! LOL Cher xo
I have seen the silicone bags too, Cher. They are pretty pricey, though and I think I would need a lot of them. Reusing the plastic bags is the best compromise that I have come up with.
I’m glad to hear you say that, Michelle! I didn’t even think about the number of bags needed. So for now until someone comes up with a comparable bag, reusing the plastic bags is what I’ll keep doing too! xo
That’s great that you’re getting rid of sandwich bags and plastic wrap! I’ve found those to be the two easiest swaps in the kitchen. I bought a set of silicone reusable sandwich bags and my sister made me some cloth beeswax wraps for leftovers. We’ve also started using more stainless steel food containers rather than plastic. It’s all the other stuff that comes from the store that is my problem.
Thanks Cassie! I know what you mean. It is so hard to go to the supermarket and not buy anything that is packaged in plastic. For a while, I was buying products in glass jars and then I learned that our local municipal recycling program doesn’t have a market to recycle glass but they do for plastic. It is hard to know what is best sometimes. Definitely an ongoing learning experience! But awareness is a first step to change. That’s why I decided to do the Plastic Free July Challenge.
I definitely use a lot of plastic bags 🙁 It’s been my goal for a while to stop using so many. Thanks for the reminder, and motivation!
It is hard to get rid of plastic bags completely. I admit it’s one area that I haven’t done as well in. I’ll keep trying! 🙂