Bye Bye Plastic Containers

I got rid if ALL my plastic containers several years ago and bought a few Pyrex sets of glass containers with rubbery type lids , don't regret it fir a second!

I keep the lids on the containers and stack them, sorted by size and shape, on the baker's rack along with my cookware. That way, I never have to search for the right lid to the right container.
If a lid cracks in the dishwasher, it goes in the recycling bin and the container goes into to stash of plastic bowls I keep for feeding strays.
If a container cracks, the lid and container go into the recycling bin.

I send them home with people. Full of food. "Here you go. Don't bring it back."

D., your post made me laugh! Isn't it amazing how easy it is to accumulate 8,000 pieces of plastic? :)

I mentioned this in the re-purposing post- I give my plastic to the art teacher at school. She loves it! However, it gets to the point of ridiculousness before I break down to sort through the stacks to donate! But you are right, it feels so good to GET RID OF THEM!

Oh that's a nightmare, isn't it? I took a sharpie marker and labeled all the bottoms and lids with a letter so I could easily match them. All the "A" lids match "A" bottoms, all the "B" ones match "B", etc. I recycled like you, but I also saved a few bottoms to hold things in the workroom like nuts/bolts, picture hooks, other odds & ends. One small one holds dead batteries to be recycled - but after seeing videos on even very weak batteries being fire hazards (engulfing garages), I'm cutting that way down and taking batteries to the recycling center even if there are just 2 or 3.

I also saw something on TV where one of those home clutter experts used a dish drainer to stack lids and bottoms - the whole drainer slid into the cupboard and it was easy to see what was where.

I'm now rethinking the whole thing anyway because of the environmental and health concerns about plastic - especially in the microwave or freezer but also just in the general manufacture. I'm slowly switching to glass - I use glass containers in the microwave, with an inverted glass plate for a lid. I think it's probably safer, and besides, the glass gets clean and dry in the dishwasher, while the plastic gets tossed around, fills with water, and is always wet at the end because it doesn't get hot enough for the water to "sheet" away.

The trick for me is also to buy less that actually comes packaged in plastic - cold cuts used to come in plain butcher paper, but now it's all in plastic bags and especially plastic tubs. It seems dumb to throw out or recycle some container you just brought home from the store, "when it could be put to good use" but then it just adds to the kitchen clutter as well as the environmental problem of manufacturing it to begin with. So I try to be smarter in my purchasing. Not always easy but it feels better!

I try to reuse the margarine, yogurt, sour cream and cottage cheese containers for freezing stuff, and I recycle those after each use so they don't accumulate. I only buy Rubbermaid for kids lunches and leftovers so I don't buy too many.

I got rid of the plastic containers years ago and now have just a few glass container (with plastic lids).

I agree it felt good to get rid of them:)

I bought a set of those glass storage containers at Costco, and recycled all the plastic ones we had accumulated. I keep the bottom pieces in one bin in my pantry, and the lids in another bin right next to it, so it's always easy to find what I need. During Christmas, when I bake items to give as gifts, I do buy a set of the Glad holiday plastic containers, and give them away. If I receive any as gifts, I find another use for them (some sizes are good for storing crayons or play-doh), or recycle them. I really hate clutter, and don't want to collect them!

When my kids went to public school, instead of using Ziploc bags, I did have a set of the Laptop Lunchbox sturdy plastic containers that were washable and reusable, and when we went to homeschooling, I sent those off to another Mamapedia mama in Texas who needed them for her girls.

We don't have that problem. We have two sets of oval tupperware and two sets of square/ rectangular ones from IKEA. Any of the tops match any of the bottoms, as the bigger containers are just deeper, not differently shaped. It works for us.

My aunt though decided to make it a project and have some fun with her grandchildren. She labeled each top and bottom something sort of random, like duck 7, or helicopter 14, or tennis 32. The kids play in the tupperware drawer and get some sightwords while matching tops and bottoms.

Best,
F. B.

We are able to recycle many plastics here. I often find used tubs handy in the garden, but after reusing for a season, they get recycled.

I cook and store food in glass bowls, keep filtered water in glass bottles, because I developed so many chemical sensitivities that just the smell of plastic can give me a headache.

Congrats on your clearing-out! You are an inspiration – I've got this closet I've been avoiding…

In my business I collect a lot of the plastic containers.. In ALL sizes, My mother and I have lots of these plastic containers because we entertain a lot. We always send leftovers home with people/guests and these are great for that. They are great for transporting food from one place to another. This way I do not have to worry about my personal containers being lost or picked up.

I mainly use Ziploc bags for my own uses. They freeze flat, easy to mark and date.

Whatever works best for you, go for i!

I do the same thing you described with exception of passing them to daughter. They all go in the recycle container.

I typically use Tupperware mostly but I do have a few of the Ziploc, Glad, etc types that are handy if I am taking cookies to someone, etc. and don't want to take my Tupperware containers.

You are correct... it feels great and I need to go do it soon!

oh my. i'm due to wrestle with that cabinet again.
i paid an organized friend to come over and re-do my kitchen. she loved every second, i ran and hid until she was done. but i've let things clutter up again...........
khairete
S.

I prefer glass containers - or zip lock bags. The zip locks I can't reuse I can recycle (with the plastic grocery bags). And they don't need matching tops.

I mostly have just the glass containers, but for the smaller ones, I keep the lids with them and them and stack them in the cupboard. They are actually pretty organized right now. The ones that aren't easily stacked with the lids on them, I have a drawer where I keep all my lids. I know just where everything is.

You REALLY only need a couple of containers. Those that go from the freezer to the microwave or oven are the best.

IF IF IF you cook ahead and have a LOT of food to store then you might need a few more but for the most part the storage containers should only be for those few leftovers you occasionally have.

I have a couple of larger storage containers for chicken pieces when I boil 10 lbs of chicken leg quarters and make chicken broth too.

I deal with just as explained in line 1!

I save some of the ones without lids and use them as sand and water toys! I am recycling and reusing, PLUS if someone takes them I dont really mind as much. Its cheaper than buying buckets and shovels. They are more durable than the dollar store variety. I often have a few extra so I give them away to really small kids who may have nothing for the sprayground/ sandbox.

I don't have any plastic containers anymore. I replaced all of them with 2 sizes of glass containers with lids. They were expensive but so worth it. Easier to wash in the dishwasher was my motivation. I hated that the cheap plastic one's always flipped over in the dishwasher and never really got clean. I also use zip baggies.