It's sort of a running joke in my family how much I love glass jars. I'm a big believer in storing food in glass whenever possible! If you follow me on instagram you've seen a BUNCH of smoothies and juices all in some kind of glass jar.
These used to be pickle jars and now they're smoothie jars!
I LOVE mason jars, especially for green juice!
Plastic is the most widely used material in the US! You can find it in everything from paper milk cartons to clothes. Some types of plastic leach chemicals into your food so it's really important to look at what you're eating and drinking from!
Plastics are typically classified by a number from #1 to #7, each number representing a different type of resin. This number is usually imprinted on the bottom of the container inside the middle of the recycling triangle. It's important to know what plastics are safe and what need to go!
#1 -#7 what does it mean?
#1 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETE) Commonly used in 2 liter soda bottles, cooking oil bottles and peanut butter jars. It is the most common recycled plastic.
#2 High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Commonly used in milk jugs, toys, liquid detergent bottles and shampoo bottles.
#3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Commonly used for meat wrap, salad dressing, liquid detergent containers, plastic pipes, outdoor furniture, shrink wrap and water bottles.
#4 Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) Commonly used for used for dry-cleaning bags, produce bags, trash can liners, food storage containers and sandwich bags. Stores such as Safeway, Alberton’s Food and Druge, Raley’s, Ralph Food Companies and G&G Supermarkets accept plastic bags for recycling.
#5 Polypropylene (PP) Commonly used for bottle caps, drinking straws, syrup bottles, yogurt or margarine cups/tubs and baby diapers. *Recycling centers almost never take #5 plastic.
#6 Polystyrene (PS) Commonly used for packaging pellets, disposable coffee cups, plastic tableware, meat trays and clam-shell take-out containers.
#7 Other (misc.; usually polycarbonate, or PC, but also polylactide, or PLA, plastics made from renewable resources) Commonly used for baby bottles, some reusable water bottles, stain-resistant food-storage containers, Tupperware and medical storage containers. *Recycling centers cannot recycle plastic #7 so look for other alternatives.
Safer plastics:
#2 HDPE, #4 LDPE and #5 PP These three types of plastic are the healthiest. They transmit no known chemicals into food and they're usually recyclable; #2 is very commonly accepted by municipal recycling programs, but you may have a more difficult time finding recycling for #4 and #5 containers.
#1 PET #1 bottles and containers are fine for single use and are widely accepted by municipal recyclers. It is best to avoid reusing #1 plastic bottles; water and soda bottles are hard to clean, and because plastic is porous, these bottles absorb flavors and bacteria that you can't get rid of.
#7 PLA PLA (polylactide) plastics are made from renewable resources such as corn, potatoes and sugar cane and high-starch sources. The starch is converted into polylactide acid (PLA). Although you can't recycle these plant-based plastics, you can compost them in a municipal composter or in your backyard compost heap. Most decompose in about twelve days unlike conventional plastic, which can take up to 100 years.
Plastics to avoid:
#3 PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) This plastic is often used frequently in cling wraps for meat. PVC contains softeners called phthalates that interfere with hormonal development. Vinyl chloride, the primary building block of PVC, is a known human carcinogen. Manufacturing and incinerating PVC releases dioxin, a potent carcinogen and hormone disruptor.
#6 PS (Extruded Polystyrene aka Styrofoam) This plastic is used in take-out containers and cups, and non-extruded PS is used in clear disposable takeout containers, disposable plastic cutlery and cups. Both forms of PS can leach styrene into food which is considered a possible human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. It may also disrupt hormones or affect reproduction.
#7 PC (Polycarbonate) This plastic is found in baby bottles, water-cooler bottles and the epoxy linings of tin food cans. PC is composed of a hormone-disrupting chemical called bisphenol A, which has been linked to a wide variety of problems such as cancer and obesity.
Create a healthy kitchen!
- Drink from glass water bottles or jars. These are my favorite.
- If you use plastic baby bottles, don't heat them.
- Absolutely throw out plastics that are stained, scratched or worn.
- Listen to NPR talk on plastics + BPA.
Organizing the storage containers your kitchen is a fast + rewarding process! I LOVED cleaning out our kitchen years ago + it still makes me happy to this day. It was so satisfying to finally get rid of all the random plastic and stack of lids that didn't have a home!
To your happy, healthy home + body! Lacy
Items in this piece adapted from Recyclenow.org + WebMd
