Well, I did a little research and found a great website for food storage alternatives–even alternatives to wax paper! Whether this website is the place I will ultimately purchase from, it sure provided me with “food for thought” as to what would create less waste and provide non-toxic alternatives to plastic.
The company is Life Without Plastic and their website address is www.lifewithoutplastic.com. They have the following product categories: bags (which include organic cotton and hemp sandwich bags), child and baby products, food storage (which I’ll talk about further), tableware, water filtration and storage, toys and coming soon…stainless steel ice trays.
Their stated purpose is to offer products that are completely devoid of plastic. They state, “But in a society so dependent on plastic, it is a significant challenge to find certain products without any plastic components whatsoever. Therefore, some of our products do feature plastic parts, but these parts are made of high quality plastic and will have little or no contact with your food or beverage. Our objective is to work with suppliers to progressively develop new products that contain no plastic at all.”
They further state, “Our products come from suppliers we trust and with whom we are developing long-term relationships. We seek suppliers who do not employ children and show respect for their employees, the environment and the community in which they live.”
Their vision was created via four guiding principles: health, the environment, integrity and community. It’s well worth reading their vision and principles statement!
So, as for the food storage options: The alternative lunch box and food storage containers offered by Life Without Plastic include stainless steel and wood. Their stainless steel containers come in various shapes and sizes and include airtight container options.
Wood products include bento boxes. Their lacquerware wood products are made of wood covered with several layers of a natural lacquer called urushi, which comes from the urushi tree (Rhus vernicifera). This urushi technique is thousands of years old, and the oldest known urushi lacquerware is about 9000 years old (dating from the Jomon period in Japan). This ancient technique is completely natural and does not use any chemical additives or processes.
Please go to their website to learn more about this ancient process, plastics, and Life Without Plastic–I have definitely bookmarked this site! At the end of a review of the various types of plastic and some plastic tips, they conclude, “These days, plastic is so omnipresent it can be difficult to imagine life without plastic. Yet, our ancestors managed just fine without it. All it takes is a little imagination, determination and discipline.”
DID YOU KNOW…Nearly 90% of floating marine litter is plastic? Since the dawn of the plastic era it is estimated that 5% of all the world’s post-production plastic has entered the world’s oceans. That is just over 100 million tons of plastic! AND…Plastic production uses 8% of all the world’s oil production. At the current rate, the world produces 200 million tons of plastic a year. Less than 3.5% is recycled.
FOR TODAY…I will use my imagination, determination and discipline to find less wasteful and much safer ways to store and carry my family’s food. I will also continue to share what I learn with others because the more we each share our knowledge, the greater the potential for change!
