Plastic Free July - Clinging to old behaviors

Why are we still wrestling with cling wrap? I recently vacationed in a lovely mid-century home on the shores of Lake Superior. It had everything a vrbo’er would dream of in a kitchen. We ground our organic, fair-trade coffee, mixed smoothies in a NutriBullet and baked our spinach quiche in two 9-inch piecrusts in one of the double-stacked ovens.

We cut three generous slices of quiche for the first morning’s breakfast, leaving us with lots of leftovers. I searched the cabinets for containers. I uncovered Tupperware circa the 70’s, true to the home’s mid-century décor and living, There were various shapes and sizes, but no glass containers. Then I came across the sandwich-sized plastic bags and cling wrap drawer. I opted to wrap the quiche, nestled in their aluminum pans, in the stuff that is anything but clingy to so many container surfaces.

I cursed as it clung to itself. I tore off a piece that was too short and ended up using two pieces per quiche. I carefully tried to place them in the fridge, tucking the cling under the dish only to have it stick to me. Infuriating! I missed my glass containers and the no-fuss, easy confidence that comes from tucking your leftovers neatly away to be enjoyed another day. I missed my frego.

This July, we’re loving that it’s once again #PlasticFreeJuly. It’s an opportunity to change engrained behaviors and purchases that are harming our planet and our bodies. By moving away from plastic, we’re exposing our environment and ourselves to less toxicity. And by talking about the functionality we need in food storage we can uncover better products, more reuse ideas and a purge of outdated products and practices that need to be cleaned up.

Check out this website for tons of great tips on going plastic-free (https://www.plasticfreejuly.org). They cover the what, how, steps you can take and the impact in visual and simple images and copy. After my run-in with cling wrap, this page holds a particular place in my heart (https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/get-involved/what-you-can-do/plastic-cling-wrap/). For my next vacation, I’m not taking any chances. I’ll be packing frego.

--- What are your frustrations with current food storage products in your kitchen? If you’re taking on a new challenge this PlasticFreeJuly, we’d love to hear about it!