How do you purge the plastic?
Is plastic one of those necessary evils? That exists in every family's home? How do we minimize plastic dependence? How do you pack lunches or store leftovers without it? Gina recently emailed, wanting to hear more from the urbanMamas community:
Every time my toddler grabs her "sippy cup" (which I still have her use to avoid nasty spills on the couch, in her room, etc.) I am wondering... is it safe?! I've just spent the last two hours surfing the web, reading about different symbols and grades of plastics and trying to really understand the environmental and health risks associated with plastic. All of this business of chemicals leaching from plastics into foods and drinks has made me paranoid. Now I'm also questioning the bottle my breastfed 4 m.o occasionally receives from her father. Here I am pumping through plastic, into a plastic bottle, and then again storing my breast milk into a plastic bag. And the soup I managed to make last night, the leftovers are sitting in my refrigerator (yet again!) in plastic Tupperware. Don't even get me started on the toys and all of the rubber duckies in my shower. I know I've read about this on urbanMamas before and I'm wondering... is anyone else out there concerned? And what about stainless steel? Has anyone tried out the foogo sippy cup or the Kleen Kanteen? Are they really worth the $15.00 plus a piece? Has anyone found someplace that carries these locally? Most of the websites I have found are out of stock. What, if anything, are you doing to minimize on plastic exposure? Any suggestions? Is there an affordable alternative... I want to raid my cabinets and discard all of the plastic before me but I need some good advice before I go overboard.
I am certainly not someone to look up to as I have a lot of plastic things still in my house, but I am trying to rid our house of them. Here are a few of the things we have done to change our consumption of plastics:
1) reusable grocery bags
2) we bought those cardboard to-go type containers that some restaurants use (think chinese take-out) that aren't plastic sealed, just straight cardboard. Leftovers don't keep as well in them, but on the other hand, I am better now about not cooking more than we need and then having to throw out old leftovers.
3) I did break down and spend $17 on a Kleen Kanteen sippy
4) wooden / cloth toys and books (minus the plastic ones that grandma can't seem to stop sending)
5) aluminum foil for sandwiches / lunches
I do, however, still buy large freezer bags to make things in bulk and then freeze for later in the week, but no more tupperware!
It's just a start. HTH
Posted by: akc | January 18, 2008 at 07:45 AM
We use the glass baby bottles from born free. They also have plastic ones that are BPA free. We used glass containers for leftovers. We never buy plastic water bottles. You dont know how long they have been on the shelf with the plastic leaching into the water. I always have water for the family in glass bottle or mason jar. We do have a stainless steel sippy cup. Stainless steel does not leach. The top is plasic but BPA free. We try to have haba toys and plan toys and buy things from one step ahead, who claim they test everything they sell. Those are the things I feel like I can do to minimize our exposure. The rest I try to let go. I use zip lock bags, we have rubber duckys and other toys that arent ideal. Our spoons have plastic on the end of them because I havent found a great alternative. We are all just doing our best. Would love to hear other tips.
Posted by: ssh | January 18, 2008 at 07:47 AM
We use the glass baby bottles from born free. They also have plastic ones that are BPA free. We used glass containers for leftovers. We never buy plastic water bottles. You dont know how long they have been on the shelf with the plastic leaching into the water. I always have water for the family in glass bottle or mason jar. We do have a stainless steel sippy cup. Stainless steel does not leach. The top is plasic but BPA free. We try to have haba toys and plan toys and buy things from one step ahead, who claim they test everything they sell. Those are the things I feel like I can do to minimize our exposure. The rest I try to let go. I use zip lock bags, we have rubber duckys and other toys that arent ideal. Our spoons have plastic on the end of them because I havent found a great alternative. We are all just doing our best. Would love to hear other tips.
Posted by: ssh | January 18, 2008 at 07:48 AM
I have been looking into this as well. Here is a website where you can print out your own wallet card with all of the plastics- good and bad.http://www.oeconline.org/kidshealth/tinyfootprints/Walletcards We also use evenflo glass bottles for our pumped milk-they are great because they fit medela,and they are so reasonable at babys r us-3 pack for 4.99. Also I freeze copious amounts of breast milk in glass baby food jars-it works really well.When I printed out our safer plastics card I went through the house and purged it of anything dangerous and felt so much better,I am sure you will feel the same way!
Posted by: Jane | January 18, 2008 at 08:49 AM
I want to post the plastics really quick just in case you dont have time to print the card-go to the website for why these are good or bad. 1-good, 2-good,3-bad,4-okay,5-okay,6-bad,7-bad.
Posted by: Jane | January 18, 2008 at 08:54 AM
OK-One more thing-If you want to be totally freaked out go to NPR and enter "phthalates" and listen to all the podcasts about scary plastic.
Posted by: Jane | January 18, 2008 at 09:01 AM
you can buy the kleen kanteen sippy at New Seasons. they also have the sigg bottles.
Posted by: Lisa | January 18, 2008 at 09:38 AM
One small step is the use of wax bags and wax paper. They have them at New Seasons. Great for sandwiches and snacks on the go. Won't keep chips or crackers crisp all day, but for the park, work lunch etc, they work great. We switched to siggs for kiddo and adults, but at the same time we use plastic sippy for milk and I have lots of tupperware. Small steps....
Posted by: courtney | January 18, 2008 at 09:50 AM
We switched to a Kleen Kanteen and our toddler loves it. They aren't cheap but it's worth it. Buy them at Mother Nature's on Clinton.
Posted by: anon | January 18, 2008 at 10:07 AM
my measly attempt to change started with using glass containers instead of tupperware. Also purging the bulk of the plastic toys - we have tons of wooden ones anyway...
Posted by: shetha | January 18, 2008 at 10:08 AM
Question: Is there a difference between plastic (7) & (7 PC) - I've read a few conflicting things about this and am now noticing that all of my Nalgene bottles say 7 PC.... help! And, for those of you who are using glass containers, are the lids plastic, and if so, does that matter? I'm guessing the most important thing is to make sure the food doesn't come in contact with the plastic. But does leaching occur anyway? Thanks again!
Posted by: Mama G | January 18, 2008 at 10:45 AM
I noticed you said you were pumping into plastic--I know that the Medela pumps are all BPA-free. Maybe some of the other brands are too?
Also, if you're not ready to toss all your plastic and go to glass for food storage, you can minimize the leaching by not heating any plastic in the microwave. Always transfer it to glass/ceramic before you heat it.
I've been wondering if those stainless steel bottles and sippy cups are lined with anything. Anyone know?
Posted by: Janice | January 18, 2008 at 11:03 AM
Where is a good place to purchase glass containers for food storage-(hopefully in lots of sizes)?
Posted by: ct | January 18, 2008 at 11:14 AM
We read the plastics card-to-go and went through our plastics right away. These are some steps that we took to make the changes:
* got rid of all our reuseable plastics that can be microwaved: ziplock, glad, and Tupperware brand, ect.
* switched to a kleen kanteen with toddler attachment. you can get them at Thinker Toys in Multnomah Village. we only own one, b/c they are very spendy, and never put it in the dishwasher. kleen kanteens are not lined with anything so you don't have to worry about that.
* got rid of all my old pump parts, old nipples for bottles and switched to even flow glass bottles. you can find the bottles at the lactation clinic at St Vincent Hospital, and I've heard that they sell them at babies-r-us. I read that nipples, and the plastic pump parts should be replaced every so often, try not to save them from baby to baby b/c even though these plastics, listed as a #5 are "OK" they can still break down after time as well. Also we don't have pacifiers, but the plastic surrounding most of them are made with #7 and so you should change them out frequently too.
* try to cook in glass as much as possible. you can get pyrex, or corning ware from places like target, bed bath and beyond, etc, basically any place that sells cooking supplies. Some of them come with extra plastic lids and some are only made with glass.
* we specifcaly asked for wooden toys, books, clothes or gift cards to OMSI or other fun places instead of plastics and ask that our kiddos are not given too much anyway. we need to get back to the less is more concept. if we are given all the extra plastic toys, we give them away.
It's really hard to weed out all the plastics and make these changes, especially if you have family like ours that are not very supportive of these changes. I think that everyone has to look at how this situation applies to them and their families and go from there.
Posted by: Becky | January 18, 2008 at 11:52 AM
I got a variety of sizes of pyrex storage containers at target and kmart I think. They do have plastic lids but it is an incremental difference, I guess. I also found some glass containers at New Seasons but the plastic lids they came with look really flimsy. I need to find some really good solutions as I go glass because I'm buying more bulk and I'd like to store them in glass. Maybe something with corked tops?
Posted by: shetha | January 18, 2008 at 12:05 PM
For glass food storage, I use a lot of canning jars (and re-used peanut butter jars, etc.). They come in a variety of sizes and have metal lids with rubber seals, so no plastic (I think!). You can only use the rubber seals once for canning, but you can keep using them over and over again for storage of bulk food, food in the fridge, food in the freezer. For larger amounts (no one wants to store flour in quart-size canning jars!), maybe enamel tins?
Posted by: Janice | January 18, 2008 at 12:18 PM
Anyone wanting to switch to plastic storage containers plus support a local business should check out Mirador, down on Division a block up from the 7 Corners New Seasons.
They sell lots of sizes of glass storage containers (plus a ton of other nifty kitchen stuff) and there's a pretty generous coupon for them in the Chinook Book.
Posted by: Zinemama | January 18, 2008 at 01:22 PM
Uh, that was supposed to be, "Anyone who wants to switch to GLASS storage containers..."
Posted by: Zinemama | January 18, 2008 at 01:23 PM
What about the foold & milk we buy that is contained in plastic - for example we pay all this extra money for organic milk but it is in a big old plasic gallon jug - how do we avoid that? Or our organic yoguart - in the plastic containers????
Depressing.
Posted by: Liz S | January 18, 2008 at 01:39 PM
I went mad dealing with issue a few months ago. I referenced the Oregon Environmental Council's website for some great answers. (I miss Oregon...) www.oeconline.org
Check this link for their guide to plastics: http://www.oeconline.org/kidshealth/tinyfootprints/Walletcards
They basically say that polycarbonate (hard clear plastic (Nalgene) is bad and somewhat milky/cloudy (Medela), semi-squeezable polypropylene is ok (#5). Sippy cups aren't labeled, but I researched and found these to be the "right" ones; Avent Magic, Gerber Color Change, Born Free and some Nuby. We went out and bought the stainless ones and the kids and I hated them, so I was happy to find sippy's in polypropylene.
As far as storage containers. I found an $18 Snapware set of 20-something pieces at Costco made of polypropylene. I also have a couple glass pieces from Ikea.
From my research I found that most milk jugs and things are "ok." Read up a little on the site above and you learn tons.
Happy purging polycarbonate containers!
P.S. Do any of you ever get annoyed that we have to worry about this stuff (think China, lead paint, etc.)? Where is the FDA in this process, if it's not the FDA, then some other regulatory agency. It seems we need to become scientists in order to keep our kids safe from the evils of our capitalist society (sorry, I went off the deep end for a moment, but I dunno?!?! You know?)
Posted by: Monica in Cali | January 18, 2008 at 03:57 PM
I've bought a lot of our glass storage containers at Ikea. They come in all shapes and sizes. The ones I got have glass lids with rubber seal around the edges.
But after reading your post, Zinemama, I'd really like to check out the place you mentioned to buy local, thanks.
Posted by: Ana | January 18, 2008 at 06:20 PM
Ikea's rainbow plastic kid's dishes are polypropylene, the "good" plastic (no bisphenol-a). They have inexpensive glass storage containers that make moving away from plastic storage containers more achievable. I tried one of their square glass containers with plastic gaskets but the gasket tore so it is no longer air tight.
The small glass bowls with flimsy lids at New Seasons are a nice size and the lids hold up quite well -- I have extras because the bowls themselves are of thin glass and break quite easily.
I got Kleen Kanteen and Sigg bottles for all of us and am very happy with them. Sigg bottles are lined with a "proprietary" substance but do not leach any chemicals according to their website http://www.mysigg.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=5
I still use plastic for some dry foods like crackers, especially to hold snacks in the diaper bag. I use Laptop Lunch boxes, which are of polypropylene and polyethylene, and stainless steel tiffins for packing lunches. I never heat in plastic or store acidic or fat-containing foods in any plastic.
There are Plastics Roundups coming up at later this month if you are purging. See the website for locations and times: http://www.masterrecycler.org/plastic-recycling.php
Posted by: AmyS | January 18, 2008 at 11:20 PM
I to am concerned about the chemicals in the plastics, but am just as upset/concerned by constantly having to replace/recycle unusable containers (broken lids, etc.) What a waste!!!
For those that use the canning jars for storage... Look at antique stores and garage sales for 1/2 gallon canning jars. I've gotten several (often to my husbands chagrin) for 5-10 dollars, which is equivalent in cost to the same size plastic containers, but will last forever. holds Flour, sugar, etc..very well. plus you often get a great story to go with it!
I second the Pyrex storage containers. We just got a set. Was starting to get into the IKEA ones until I was heating my lunch at work and the container cracked in half when I pulled it out of the microwave.
Posted by: Lisa | January 19, 2008 at 10:44 AM
We are also concerned with this, and use Klean Kanteens for the kids and me (I have the adult one and love it), and Sigg bottles for my husband. We love not having the plastic water bottles anymore.
We use reusable grocery bags, and only microwave on ceramic or glass dishes. I cook in stainless steel if I can, using my 2 nonstick pans as little as possible (the hazards of the nonstick chemical are another topic altogether!) I nurse my daughter and since I hate pumping, I use the 'plastic' debate as my excuse for never pumping and getting out! :)
We do still use tupperware, but I went through our plastic and got rid of anything that was made of the bad plastic. We no longer use polycarbonate anything, except a few sippy cups with handles that are my little ones favorites. It sucks because they are the easiest for her to grab, and yet they are polycarbonate! It kind of ticks me off that I have to worry about her health every time I give it to her. One thing I do is make sure I change to fresh water all the time...like, every 30 min I will go empty it out and put in clean water. Since it is the only cup she can hold at 10 months, I just try to minimize the leaching of the plastic if I can.
As for toys, we have tried to go with metal or wood. We've gotten some plastic toys we didn't need and want, and gave them away without even opening the box. We bought my 3 yr old some Plan Toys (they are my new favorite toy company...using untreated rubberwood from trees that are at the end of their useful lives anyway. Very cool.) We also bought untreated maple wood blocks, and wooden haba toys for my little one. Some of the plastic Fisher Price stuff is still around, but nothing that would be chewable. We have given away a lot of it, but at least we think we are now 50/50 in our house in terms of plastic toys.
It is hard to do, but I think the key is minimizing! I feed my 3 yr old off regular ceramic plates, and my daughter out of little glass (but durable) bowls from williams sonoma (cook-prep bowls).
I'm planning to keep paring down the plastic in our house, but choose not to worry about what I can't eliminate...because there are so many other 'hazards' to our kids other than plastic.
Posted by: anon | January 19, 2008 at 11:02 AM
Anyone found small metal containers with lids? I'd feel better about them (over glass) for sending in school lunch boxes, that get thrown in with the rest of the class, and banged around.
Posted by: Liz | January 19, 2008 at 11:08 AM
I had been looking for months for a good little stainless steel container with a lid and I just found some at New Seasons on Division. They are made by RSVP and you buy the bowls individually and then the plastic (not sure what type!) lids in a pack of 3 or 4. I am using for school lunch and snacks for the park, etc. We use the wax paper bags for lots of stuff, but I would prefer to keep the waste down and some things just don't store well in wax paper.
A good source for individual glass jars for storage is the Alberta Co-op. They sell many different sizes. And you don't have to buy a whole case.
Posted by: maura | January 19, 2008 at 12:23 PM
New Seasons has small metal containers, but the center of the lid is plastic (to be see-through, I guess).
Posted by: Janice | January 19, 2008 at 12:35 PM
Looks like there is a real high demand here... where's the one place we can go for all of these things?! I sure appreciate all of the feedback and feel a lot better having some understanding of the different labels on the plastics we use. I decided to buy some stainless steel plates/bowls at REI (the type sold for camping)- they also sell SIGG & Kleen Kanteen. Of course they aren't as cute as most sippy cups and my 4 y-o is sad that her favorite fishy sippy is gone. How cool would it be if there were some fun designs on the stainless bottles?! I also found the foogo sippy at babies-r-us in Tigard. Then I headed to "storables" and bought a bunch of glass containers (they have a wide selection). Will check out local shops next and am sorry I didn't read about them before I made my journey this morning. Love the idea of keeping glass jars to use for storage. Makes me re-think buying things like mayo & mustard in the handy "squeezable" bottles - now I'm going to go for the traditional glass. Will tackle the toys next... Does anyone know of good teethers that aren't made of plastic? And, I'm still wondering if anyone knows the difference b/w (7) and (7 PC)?? Thanks!
Posted by: Mama G | January 19, 2008 at 06:29 PM
I agree with the -- anything in moderation feels okay to me. I'm mindful of not choosing plastic if I have a choice, but I also don't ban it from our house either. When I first wanted to move away from plastic food storage I was overwhelmed by the cost. Then I discovered mason jars (which one other people mentioned they use). I have to say they are much cheaper, and very durable. To keep things simple I only buy jars that use the same size lids. So for the small jars I use the low flat mason jar. I find these extremely versatile -- I use them for storage in the pantry and in the fridge, they are easy for my son to reach into for snacks on the go, and I also have a separate set I use for his paints. Knock on wood, but they have been dropped numerous times in our house, on the sidewalk, out of the car... (usually by me and not my son) and in four years only one has broken on me. I also recommend the quart size and the 1/2 gallon size (what I use for the frozen oj, soup leftovers, to store crackers, pretzels, cereal...). Almost all grocery stores have them and they range in price from $8-$12 dollars for a twelve pack, depending on the size. To keep things simple I do buy the plastic lids separately just because I find them easier and the food never touches the lid, but I also use the metal ones too.
As for the bathtoys -- if they aren't eating them, I don't worry about them. But they do sell I nice wooden boat for the bath at SpielWerks (a nice toy store in Sellwood which only sells nonplastic toys).
As for sippy cups -- I know people love how easy they are but because I personally can't stand drinking out of them, I never gave them to my son. Instead, there is a little market on Freemont and NE 42 (or 39th?) that sells little tin cups with little handles for $1.25 a piece. They keep them tucked away -- by the copy machine. If he's on the couch, I just pull a little chair over for him to set his drink on. He's 2 1/2 now and he doesn't spill any more than my husband does. When there is a still -- hot water on a rag seems to get everything out. We do keep one sippy cup in the house because before I did my son used to try to take them away from other children at the park. Sometimes children crave what they can't have so I keep it in the house but we rarely use it. It comes back to anything in moderation for me.
Posted by: MG | January 19, 2008 at 07:46 PM
Now that I'm looking at plastics totally differently, I've noticed that many of the common things that I buy are in the "bad" type of plastic... including things that live in my pantry for long amounts of time (like spices & oil). I'm going to start to shop differently and hopefully take the right steps toward reducing waste and buying products that are healthier for all of us. Anyway, check this out:
-Spices (various brands, purchased in plastic containers) all share the same grade of (1)
- Fruit snacks (like diced peaches), Dole & DelMonte (7)
- Snack size Apple Sauce (various brands, including organic) (7)
- Snack size pudding (Jell-o brand) (5)
- Squeezable Ketchup, Mustard & Mayo (various brands) (7)
-Cooking oil (various brands, Mazola, Western Family) (1)
- Honey (western family bear bottle) (1)
- Cookies (Country Choice, Organic, Sandwich Creams) (7)
-Smart Water & Crystal Geyser flavored Water (both 1)
If I had three more hours I could continue... but need I go on?! O, wait, I almost forgot to include my favorite... my 4 m-o's liquid prescription, bottled in a (7)!!
Unfortunately the vast majority of the plastic products in our home are the wrong number. At least our organic milk and yogurt are okay, but, other than that, there isn't much to feel good about. So, the next time I'm at the grocery store, I'll bring along my cheat sheet and try to only purchase products in glass or with the righ plastic numbers. Thanks to all of the mamas out there who've helped me understand the difference between the "okay" (2,4 & 5) and the "bad" (1, 3, 6 & 7) - I'm going to keep purging, and, in the meantime, let's all demand healthier products for our families, for our planet!
Posted by: Mama G | January 21, 2008 at 10:38 AM
What about using those military mess kits or the tin ones used for camping? No plastics!
Posted by: Dee | January 22, 2008 at 05:30 PM
Mama G, you wrote "Thanks to all of the mamas out there who've helped me understand the difference between the "okay" (2,4 & 5) and the "bad" (1, 3, 6 & 7)"
I'm confused. The wallet card I downloaded from the link mentioned earlier says that 1 & 2 are "good" and 4 & 5 are "ok" - what's your source on #1 being a bad plastic?
Posted by: jj | January 22, 2008 at 09:50 PM
jj- just to answer your question, I got my information from this website:
http://www.lifewithoutplastic.com/factsonplastic.htm
you're right though, there is some conflicting reports on plastics labeled a one, here, on the Oregon environmental council, they post #1 with a thumbs up... needless to say, I'm still confused.
Posted by: MamaG | January 25, 2008 at 02:10 PM
Check out the little Japanese bento boxs at Japanese food stores. Also, check out www.lifewithoutplastic.com
Posted by: Shana | January 25, 2008 at 08:13 PM
The Plastics Round-up is coming up on May 3rd in North Portland. I can't remember where- erg. They will take any plastic item you can think of from tiny toys to plastic trikes or whatever plastic you are needing to purge (busted buckets, plastic shelving, hangers, to-go containers)!
Posted by: Teresa | April 19, 2008 at 12:29 PM
Regarding the plastics round up on May 3rd, I believe there are 2-3 Eastside drop off locations, but the North one will be at Interstate and Freemont at Kaiser, I think. I've got quite a pile going in my garage at the moment! They'll also take all kinds of plastic bags, so I've got a good stash of cereal box liners, chip bags, etc. going.
Posted by: Leah | April 19, 2008 at 01:18 PM
The other location is at: Floyd Light Middle School 10800 SE Washington, Portland, OR
If you miss these two, they also have two drop off sites in Lake Oswego on May 17 at: 5400 Meadows Rd, Lake Oswego, OR 97035-3606 and PCC Rock Creek, 17705 NW Springville Rd, Portland, OR 97229-1744
Here's the link: http://www.masterrecycler.org/plastic-recycling.php
Posted by: urbanMamas | April 19, 2008 at 04:49 PM
Should I be using melamine plates?
Posted by: holden | April 19, 2008 at 07:36 PM
I'd like to second the question about what SIGG and Kleen Kanteens are lined with. Aluminum exposure can be dangerous and I would not feel comfortable exposing my child to that once my $16 SIGG sippy got dented when she throws it out the car door. Just an observation, but Nalgene also says that their clear hard #7 bottles are safe, yet no one is really questioning the claim by the metal bottle manufacturers that their lining is safe. If a company can not disclose what their lining is made of, it is suspect to me.
Maybe it takes a call to the company. I have found that with all plastic sippys, toys, etc. if you call the 800 number on the packaging they will tell you what every part of the item is made of. It may be weird, but I do this in the middle of the store sometimes.
It sure would be easier if everything was labeled!
Posted by: Hazmom | April 20, 2008 at 02:11 PM
Ok, so I understand about the bottles and sippy cups and I've read that the Take and Toss containers are fine, but how do I find out about the Expecially for Baby bowls with lids I have been using for food storage?
Posted by: still confused | July 04, 2008 at 09:59 PM