Ideal Bite

Don't throw the tupperbaby out with the bathwater! Just by virtue of being plastic we shouldn't designate Tupperware an eco-criminal; what happened to innocent until proven guilty!! (or a bit more research, for that matter!) We regularly sell Tupperware through our childrens' school in an effort to reduce the HUGE amount of waste generated on a daily basis. If even a small percentage of the ziploc bags and 'individual serving size' packaging was eliminated by switching to reusable containers the effect would be significant. (That's based on research, the Grade 7 students did a Waste Audit - ewwww - last year and at the time of the audit 30% of the waste was food packaging.) It could be argued that glass would be the safer choice for school lunches, but the time spent at the chiropractor (ever seen a 65 pound kid carry a backpack loaded with 15 pounds of glass?) might really cut into class time. And then there's the cost of suture kits (10 year old boy - breakable container - enough said). As a busy family we're big on changes that are truly 'do'able and shipping a child off to school loaded up with glass containers is not. Noted above, plastic is not plastic. There are some safer and some scarier options, and while Tupperware is more expensive, it's generally safer (http://thegreenguide.com/reports/product.mhtml?id=44&sec=3). Just don't microwave that, or any other, plastic! And because you might just hand it down to your grandkids, maybe that Tupperware lady is not an eco party pooper but a party animal!

Trying to ditch the multitude of plastic baggies you use for lunches? Ceramic and glass aren't really an option for an 8 year old carrying a lunch to school. We found an amazing product - will last you FOREVER (much like our well loved Tupperware). It is made mostly of number 5 plastic, and it is all recycleable (if it happens to get ran over by a truck or something and is no longer reuseable). www.laptoplunches.com We can get our kiddos to eat almost anything in the box! The food looks awesome in it. I have never had a leak, and have never had a cross taste issue (i.e. where your potato chips taste like bananas after they share the same lunch box). It holds a TON of food, and really helps you get creative. With four containers it is easy to pack a fresh, well balanced meal as well. Great for leftovers!

Brooke those are awesome lunchbox containers that you sent the link to . seems as though most of my grandkids buy their lunch at school. i bet a homepacked one would be more nutricious though.

Post-Tupperware youth, I do not buy storage containers; wrap, rarely. Your kitchen is full of freebies and reuse-its. Every plate and bowl from your dishes can store food in the fridge. Smaller plates can be used as lids. Then there all those regrettable universal plastic containers (yogurt, deli); 'free' ziplocs from things like pita; I use what I can, recycle what I can... Away from home these have a good seal. In a petroleum dependent world, we do our best.

Posted by: Margaret McCormick | September 06, 2007 at 07:11 AM Any thoughts on how to dispose of “legacy” plastic storage containers? If the containers are Tupperware, I believe the Tupperware company will take them back and replace (probably a fee?) or recycle them. I just added a post to my Organic Foods Mom Blog about using plastics for food: http://www.organic-foods-mom.com/organic-foods-blog.html

I blogged about this back in January; see http://jdorganizer.blogspot.com/2007/01/kitchen-duo-collapsible-products... (It starts out talking about collapsible storage products, and segues onto the subject of plastic storage concerns and the alternatives.) I appreciate the addtional information provided here, in both the original post and the comments.

Brooke, thanks for the posting. Those lunch boxes are adorable!

when i had my first 2 children glass baby bottles were easy to obtain and i always felt good about being able to sterilize them and rings and nipples . when i had my 3rd child plastic bottles became the rage and i stuck with my old glass ones i still had from the other children. i am not sure if people can still buy glass baby bottles any more and its a shame . even the hospitals use plastic bottles for feeding newborns if they arent breast fed. by the time a child is old enough to sit up its time to start them on sippy cups , which plastic then is a safety feature . but now i am reading some of those are made from harmful leeching plastics . also hospitals serve babies formula at room temperture so people shouldnt be nuking baby's formula in baby bottles in the microwave to begin with . if you buy ready made formula or use distilled water to mix formulas there is no need to refrigerate and then have to heat them and if you do need to warm dont do it in the microwave but the old fashioned way in a sauce pan on stove top like old fashioned hot chocolate is made . or old fashioned pudding that needs to be cooked on stove top . and then pour into baby bottles from the saucepan .

I've seen people with stainless or metal lunch-sized containers (about the size of the "gladware" or tupperware-type) that have plastic lids but I can't find them anywhere. Does anyone know where these can be found? And if anyone has used them and has an opinion I'd love to hear! Thanks!

Hi Tracy, I can't seem to find exactly the product you're mentioning, but here are the closest things I found. Many people seem to like this one: http://freefromplastic.com/17/nonplastic-fogo-lunch-container-and-cup/ And there are all sorts of stainless steel bowls with plastic lids; here's one: http://www.amazon.com/Piece-Stainless-Steel-Prep-Bowls/dp/B000BUDDY4