When I was growing up, food storage in the kitchen meant having everything wrapped in either aluminum foil, or tin foil as it was called, wax paper and/or plastic wrap. Virtually everything I ate out of my lunch box as a kid was wrapped in one of these three.
Truth be told, we didn’t have all that many alternatives. Easy seal containers were too expensive to send to school with a kid, especially when the, “I broke it” or the “I lost it” aspect was factored in. So, it was always one of those three easily disposable and inexpensive type of wrappers that were sent along to keep our sandwiches and cookies fresh.
The times have changed, and there are many different alternatives plus a newer awareness about kitchen food packaging. Sure, the old standbys are still there, but reusable containers are just a better idea all the way around.
However, in some cases either foil, waxed paper and even plastic wrap may be a viable alternative for one reason or another, so here is the skinny on which is the best type of packaging for the environment.
Firstly, let’s forget about plastic wrap. Besides the fact that it is made of gasoline, it doesn’t biodegrade very well and since the most common kinds of wraps are made out of PVC plastic, there is the threat that they may leach toxic chemicals into food. Safer plastic compounds are now being made to reduce this chemical contamination, but they don’t seal as good, so consequently there is a flavor loss and spoilage rates are higher.
The reality is, just stay away from plastic wraps for both your health and environmental health.
Wax paper has been around since the middle ages as a coated type of parchment. Coating paper with wax makes it waterproof and therefore a good way to seal vessels filled with liquids. Wrapping any kind of food in wax paper will keep it fresh, locking in moisture.
The big problem with wax paper is that it cannot be recycled, or if it can, it’s not worth the bother. The wax must first be removed from the paper before the pulp can be used again. This is the same issue with recycling wax coated milk cartons which are not very recyclable. So although wax paper is theoretically friendlier than plastic wrap, in reality it isn't that much better of an option.
It looks like aluminum foil might be the way to go. Since it is aluminum, it can easily be recycled, and because it is aluminum, it can be used over and over again before being send to the recycling bin.
If possible, get 100 percent recycled aluminum foil from the store. Just by doing that you are saving the entire process of mining the original bauxite to make aluminum, then taking the aluminum and turning it into sheets. In effect, you are only using about 5 percent of the energy to buy recycled aluminum foil as opposed to using some that is brand new and freshly made.
Because Action speaks louder than words, regardless of anything else, it’s always better to use a reusable container then any of the three wraps that were just mentioned. However, recycled aluminum foil would be a far better way environmentally to wrap things than either plastic wrap or waxed paper.
Source: BecauseAction.com
