The Plastic Habit: Kick It in the Kitchen
Photos by Adam DeTour
Just weeks after our Climate, Community and Conservation issue came out in February of 2020, suddenly reducing single-use plastics did not feel like our society’s most urgent problem. Everything had shut down. There was no vaccine on the horizon. We were still getting a grasp on how the virus spreads: wiping groceries, debating the merits of cloth masks, lining up six feet apart outside the grocery store.
Before Covid-19 upended our lives, we were making halting progress, though: travel mugs, sippy lids, glass food storage containers. During a pandemic, navigating daily survival trumped all—it had to. Plastic consumption soared. We ordered everything online, boxes nestled in boxes of packing peanuts. We switched to disposable KN95’s from our washable cloth masks when Dr. Fauci told us to. We supported local restaurants by ordering takeout, adding more plastic to the pile. Sure, we recycled the containers as best we could, but with the supply chain in such disarray, where did they actually go once the bin was emptied?
Now feels like a good time to revisit our single-use plastic story from the “before times,” and to re-examine and rethink how our habits have changed since. The pandemic isn’t over, but our collective panic has reduced along with case counts, so we can think about other things—like the future—again. In February 2022, the state department proposed a plan for U.S. Actions to Address Plastic Pollution that includes partnerships in the private sector. We can’t solve a problem this big without industry and government, but our individual actions matter, too. The U.S. produces more plastic waste per capita than any nation on earth. It’s so omnipresent in our lives that we don’t see it or even, really, know what it is.
So, what is plastic? Plastics are made from hydrocarbons found in natural gas, oil and coal. The raw material is refined (like oil) and processed into carbon-containing molecules called monomers, which are further processed and combined into large molecules called polymers—polyethylene, nylon, silicone, polypropylene, epoxy; millions of synthetic polymers make up just as many plastics. They’re moldable and permanent, resilient in heat and cold—and unlike metals, plastics do not rust or corrode. Chemically inert, they won’t react with other substances like alcohol or gasoline. Their low cost and durability make them invaluable, but some of the properties that make them so useful are the very factors that have landed us here: Since plastics don’t react with other substances, they also don’t decay.
From its origin as a fossil fuel to the refining process to disposal, plastic production is greenhouse-gas-intensive from cradle to grave, and recycling it requires a tremendous amount of energy. Once collected for recycling, plastics are shredded and washed, separated, dried and melted, drained and cooled before they’re sold back to plastic companies, consuming energy at every step. China’s 2018 policy curtailing U.S. recycling imports caused recycling costs to skyrocket and some municipalities have suspended their curbside recycling programs altogether.
If you want to reduce your reliance on single-use plastic, the kitchen is a good place to start. Plastic food packaging comprises 30% of our household waste, and a lot of it isn’t recyclable. Take a moment to look around any department in the supermarket and it’s harder to find foods without plastic packaging than with it, even in the produce section. Stopping to think is the first step. But then what?
SHOPPING BAGS:
Bag bans first came to Massachusetts in 2012. Today more than 130 towns have banned single-use plastic shopping bags but legislation to pass a statewide ban (like California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermont) has yet to pass. If you care at all, you probably already have more reusable shopping bags than you need. We’re doing great on these—the bags that all the smaller bags go into, the ones that carry everything else. Just try to remember them. That seems to be the hardest part.
COTTON BULK AND PRODUCE BAGS:
If you’re putting pears, kale or bell peppers into a plastic bag before you buy them, why are you doing that? Those flimsy little tear-off bags are one of the easiest plastic habits to kick—you can skip them altogether and put your apples and head lettuce directly into your shopping bag. For loose green beans or Brussels sprouts, though, consider buying a few different sizes of cotton bags to tuck in your grocery tote. If your local shop allows their use, these are perfect for the bulk bin, too. EcoBags are pre-marked with a tare weight. They’re attractive, affordable, washable and easily folded into a routine that already includes reusable grocery bags. Cleenland is a Cambridge storefront entirely devoted to zero-waste solutions. They carry a few types of produce bags and tons of other supplies that make zero-waste feel achievable—and even fun.
BULK BINS:
When Whole Foods absorbed so many of the cozy, fenugreek- scented 1970s food co-ops, it quietly maintained one of their most defining features: bulk bins. Bulk bins are still present in a lot of mainstream grocery stores, but with no financial incentive to promote them, they often go ignored. Where they do exist, many stores won’t allow shoppers to bring their own reusable containers, citing health codes. But the FDA doesn’t really prohibit the practice, not exactly. Many local businesses encourage it. Matt Gray of Neighborhood Produce in Somerville sells reusable bags and containers for bulk items. “As far as FDA regulations,” he says, “I’ve looked at Whole Foods’ reasoning on it … the FDA puts out the health food, health code guidelines, but they’re not law. So, Whole Foods references that as a regulation. That’s not actually a regulation. It’s a guideline. It’s like best practices. And within that there’s a section about reusable containers, but nothing that speaks specifically to a bulk section on reusable containers.” At a grocery chain, it’s worth asking; some branches are more lenient than others. If the answer is no and you can’t shop small, paper bags are the next best thing. For a quarter-century, the bulk section has thrived at Debra’s Natural Gourmet in West Concord. As the store expands into a new space next door, bulk/ zero-waste goods are taking center stage.
SILICONE SANDWICH BAGS:
A lot of plastic alternatives are made of silicone. But isn’t silicone … plastic? Not really. Silicone is derived from the base element silica (basically, sand: one of the most abundant elements on the planet). It’s not a natural product but it’s more durable than plastic and doesn’t degrade into microfragments over time; it dissolves gradually into its natural elements. Reusable, sealable silicone bags like Stashers make an excellent replacement for plastic pretty much anywhere you might ordinarily reach for disposable ones—in a packed lunch or snack, for leftover bits in the fridge, or at the bulk bin, where they’re lighter and sleeker than glass jars. Boston General Store (in Dedham and Brookline) is a great resource for these and other plastic alternatives, as are Cambridge Naturals, Debra’s Natural Gourmet in Concord and Kitchen Outfitters in Acton. (Of course, any of these items can be found on Amazon, at the precise intersection of convenience and price—it’s hard to resist, but first think about all the plastic your plastic alternative will be wrapped in, and all the miles it will have traveled.)
BEESWRAP:
Waxed cloth is an excellent choice for wrapping cheese, bread and produce. It’s pretty, wipes clean and lasts for more than a year. When its life is over, it biodegrades. Made in Massachusetts of cotton, beeswax and jojoba oil, Z Wraps are available at all Brothers Marketplace locations, Pemberton Farms in Cambridge, Didriks in Belmont and online.
DELI PAPER:
At the deli, you can ask to have your sliced meats wrapped in paper instead of put into zip-top bags. When you’re done with the paper, compost it!
COMMON SENSE STORAGE:
The BPA panic rid many households of plastic storage containers a decade ago, but quitting cling wrap might be a tougher pill to swallow. Have you considered … putting a plate on top of a bowl? You can put a chicken wing in a cleaned-out peanut butter jar, even if it’s a weird shape. Take stock of what you already have, and you may not need to buy many alternative supplies.
BUY LESS PACKAGED STUFF IN GENERAL:
We know that shopping the periphery of the grocery store is good for our health; it also generates less waste. But buying fewer packaged foods is a difficult change to make because, rather than simply substituting one container (disposable) for another (reusable), it requires planning, time and work. We may think of avoiding packaged food as a lifestyle choice for folks who can afford it, but while it does have a cost time-wise, it actually saves money. Plastic is cheap but not free; packaged food is still generally more expensive than fresh or bulk. Most butcher counters won’t allow customers to forego plastic entirely, so committing to less plastic could mean buying less meat. Cutting plastic could make you a more resourceful, better and healthier cook.
We know that shopping the periphery of the grocery store is good for our health; it also generates less waste. But buying fewer packaged foods is a difficult change to make because, rather than simply substituting one container (disposable) for another (reusable), it requires planning, time and work. We may think of avoiding packaged food as a lifestyle choice for folks who can afford it, but while it does cost a little time, it actually saves money. Plastic is cheap but not free; packaged food is still generally more expensive than fresh or bulk. Most butcher counters won’t allow customers to forego plastic entirely, so committing to less plastic could mean buying less meat. Cutting plastic could make you a more resourceful, better and healthier cook.
If you’re feeling cynical about your ability to affect change, remember that consumer-facing companies are exquisitely attuned to marketplace trends. They’re responsive to the desires of their customers. You might not have the power to reduce oil subsidies, but your purchasing habits signal to policy makers, corporations and other consumers that if they don’t fall in line, your money will go elsewhere. If enough of us ask to use our own containers at the bulk bin, eventually they’ll let us.
We can only do what we can do, but what we do is something. So do something.
To find bulk bins and other zero-waste resources in your town, check:
litterless.com
unpackedliving.com
bostonzerowaste.com
This story appeared in the Winter 2020 issue. It was updated in April 2022.
