What are the best eco-friendly ways to store food: leftovers, snacks, etc.? Obviously single use plastic bags and multiple use plastic containers are out. Goodbye Glad! Sure, they are super convenient, but they are also super wasteful and not easily recyclable, oh and possibly toxic. I’ve compiled my top go-to items for earth friendly, worry-free food storage.
Glass Containers
You really can’t go wrong with glass. It’s a virtually inert so it won’t react with your food or leach harmful chemicals. It’s an impermeable material, so it won’t become stained by anything. It’s also easily recyclable. There are many options in this category. If you want to go cheap and re-purpose materials you already have, you can simply wash and use old spaghetti sauce, jam or pickle jars with their lids. Mason jars work well too.
My favorite food storage containers that I’ve been using for years are Pyrex. There is a reason this company has been around since 1915, they make great products! Storage containers come in sizes from 7 cups to 6 oz. They last pretty much forever and are remarkably sturdy. They are dishwasher, freezer, microwave and (pre-heated) oven safe. Recently they have starting offering lid types other than plastic. You can get glass/silicone lids or wood lids. I haven’t tried the wood lids but the glass silicone lids are excellent. They last much longer than the plastic lids and don’t seem to disappear as easily. I use my Pyrex not just for storing food but for serving as well. I use their 6 oz custard cups everyday. I serve my kids snacks in these little glass bowls and they’ve only ever broken one!
They are also much more reasonably priced than some other products we’ll talk about later. A 7 cup glass storage container with glass lid will cost you $13.50. If you buy a set you can save more. A 10 piece set with 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 cup containers with glass lids is only $63.00
Other brands which I have and like include Anchor Hocking and Duralex (the glass is lighter and thinner than Pyrex). The downfall with glass is that it’s heavy and can be breakable. Not something great to throw in you bag and go. For that you might want to look into Silicone baggies.
Silicone storage bags
These are getting very popular and for good reason. They are a great alternative to ziploc bags. They come in many sizes, types and colors. They work well in the freezer and supposedly you can boil them in water on the stovetop to reheat your food. I haven’t tried that feature yet. I have several Stasher bags (2 of which I scored at a garage sale for $1 each). They are great for snacks and for on the go. But they have draw backs, I find them harder to wash and dry than glass and although you can put them in the dishwasher they always come out with spots. Also they can become stained and it is harder to get a sandwich or other food in and out of a bag. Food doesn’t slide on the surface like it would on glass, the texture is more rubbery and it sticks. Maybe these are little problems, my biggest problem with these are the price. They are expensive! A half gallon Stasher baggie is 19.99. $6.50 more than the similar-sized Pyrex container. The expense can really add up when you want to buy enough to actually use them as plastic substitutes. To save, look to buy them second hand or on sale or supplement them with paper or cloth. Other brands include Luumi and ZipTop.
Keep in mind if you buy from on a site like Amazon there are a ton of knock off bags like Stasher. I personally don’t trust their quality. There are different grades of silicone. Even though knock offs may be cheaper, I would go with a reputable company with a history instead of buying from a fly by night vendor on Amazon.
Paper and Cloth Sandwich Bags
Lunchskins make great single use paper sandwich bags that are sustainably sourced, compostable and non-toxic. They are moisture resistant so they don’t fall apart if they touch something moist like jelly. I like to use these in my kids’ lunches when I don’t want to worry about losing a $20 silicone baggie. A box of 50 costs about $4.99
Lunchskins also makes reusable cloth sandwich bags. These can be cleaned in the dishwasher. I haven’t tried them yet. They are a little pricey, but cheaper than silicone. A 2 pack set of a sandwich and snack bag is 9.99, just the sandwich bag is 6.99.
Reusable plastic bags
Some companies are like ReZip and Grove Collaborative are making and selling reusable food storage bags and touting them as similar to silicone bags. They are not. They are made of PEVA/EVA (polyethylene vinyl acetate), this is plastic, although they don’t call it plastic in the descriptions. It may still leak chemicals into your food and while it may be better than other plastics I don’t know if I would call it “eco-friendly.”
Beeswax food wrap
A great alternative to cling wrap and to baggies. These wraps are simply cloth coated in beeswax and sometimes other natural resins and oils. Cloth treated this way becomes liquid resistant, reusable, and has antimicrobial properties. You can wash and reuse them for up to a year with proper care. I love the simplicity of this product. I’m sure this is not a new idea. I imagine this is how people a hundred years ago and more were wrapping their food. Everything old is new again!
I have several food wraps of varying sizes and separate brands. I like them. They are great for wrapping cheese and covering bowls. What I don’t like is that they are hard to clean. You only need lukewarm water and a little soap to clean them but it is awkward to hold this floppy sheet while trying to scrub it, water is going everywhere and it’s just messy. Also you need a lot of space to let them dry. For this reason I don’t use them often. I may be a little lazy or pressed for time, but I do want to give it another go and try using them regularly again. There are many brands. Maybe the most well know is Bee’s Wrap. I get most of mine from a local beekeeper, Farm and Hive is her company.
Another food storage method that I haven’t used yet (except for water bottles)- Stainless steel containers. They are reusable and non toxic. Steel as a material is relatively eco-friendly. Here are two promising brands of steel containers, Ecolunchbox and Lunchbots. I’ve found another product, wheat straw lunchboxes. They claim to be eco friendly and sustainable, but it seems they are made of straw and plastic. Watch out for those.
The bottom line is there are many options for storing food without plastic and you don’t have to pick just one! So next time you’re in the plastic bag aisle at the grocery store just stop and think…there is a better way!