This or That: Aluminum Foil or Plastic Wrap?
Aluminum foil or plastic wrap for leftovers?
Turkey Day is coming up quick and as a result many of us will soon be overrun with leftovers. Reusable storage containers are an eco-friendly option for storing them, but when something needs to be wrapped or there's a lid missing is aluminum foil or plastic wrap the better choice?
Aluminum foil wins by a mile. Although there certainly is an environmental impact made during its creation, aluminum foil is almost 100% recyclable whereas plastic wrap also negatively impacts the environment during production but then isn't recyclable after use and can only end up in the landfill.
The catch? Make sure you do actually recycle the foil after you take it off the cold turkey!
Turkey Day is coming up quick and as a result many of us will soon be overrun with leftovers. Reusable storage containers are an eco-friendly option for storing them, but when something needs to be wrapped or there's a lid missing is aluminum foil or plastic wrap the better choice?
Aluminum foil wins by a mile. Although there certainly is an environmental impact made during its creation, aluminum foil is almost 100% recyclable whereas plastic wrap also negatively impacts the environment during production but then isn't recyclable after use and can only end up in the landfill.
The catch? Make sure you do actually recycle the foil after you take it off the cold turkey!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-21-2008 @ 7:09PM
Rebecca said...
...how about tupperware. duh.
Reply
11-23-2008 @ 9:08PM
Angela said...
Duh huh? Tupperware is actually not a better choice, being plastic. It is potentially harmful during reheating and cannot be recycled.
11-25-2008 @ 7:25AM
Danielle said...
And she did mention that it is in the case of missing lids...!
Can foil be recycled in aluminum can bins?
Reply
12-02-2008 @ 7:39AM
Bethany said...
Actually you shouldn't heat anything in plastic. Chemicals that mimic hormones leach into the food. This is especially important if you are giving the food to children.
Reply
12-02-2008 @ 10:15AM
Laurel said...
To be safe, don't reheat in plastic--use oven- & microwave-safe glass or reheat in a pan on the stove. But for STORING leftovers, plastic is okay.
I get "free Tupperware" from the store. In our county they don't accept any plastics for recycling except 1s and 2s (and they make it difficult to do that!), but the stores sell dairy products like sour cream and yoghurt, or apple sauce and ice cream, in plastics numbered 5 and 7, and the organic salad comes in a box numbered 21, made of corn [the plastic, not the salad]. I try not to buy stuff in packaging other than 1s and 2s, but as I'm not ready to churn my own margarine (!) I'm left with a collection of plastic tubs and jars which I can't just throw away. I use these containers for food and small item storage. They can hold fragile items for mailing, serve as plant starting cups, and the lids can be used to cut out durable quilt piece patterns. It's kind of touching to watch a small child incorporate lunch meat tubs and an empty plastic honey bear into his Lego world, " 'cause you can build faster wif 'em."
And when I get too much of it, it goes into a bag in the garage for a trip to Grandma's in the big city, where they are enlightened enough to take all numbers of plastic. But that's a long way off topic.
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12-04-2008 @ 3:40AM
Margaret Back said...
Butter - don't buy the tubs! I buy the sticks which do come rapped in a paper that I throw out but the cardboard that encases the 4 sticks is recycleable. Total impact is less than the tubs.
Reply
12-05-2008 @ 2:54PM
Patty said...
And butter actually helps your body absorb vitamins. It is healthier than margarine, contrary to a two-decade old myth that margarine is healthier.
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