Controversial opinion of the day (not political!)

 preach it!!  I figure if it is around already why get rid of it?  Use it, use it, use it.. THEN don't buy it anymore.  Although I am not a hardcore person regarding this rule (not buying stuff in plastic), it never made sense to buy it, then put it in something else and get rid of it.. at least try to get some use out of it. Like my laundry pods from Costco that come in the big plastic tub.  I try to use that tub for other things.

I’m amazed this needs saying. Why would anyone think it was OK to throw usable plastic away! My MIL is trying to become more “green”.  She told me she threw her packet of clingfilm (think it’s called glad wrap in US) away as she was trying to save the planet!   

Yes. -- I've transitioned all our food storage containers to glass. I did throw away some stained plastic containers because they were icky. But the rest of them are in use to freeze soups and sauces (I know technically I could freeze them in my Pyrex but it makes me nervous to put glass in the freezer). My dh uses the smaller ones to take snacks to work, or I use them for the car. Eventually when they crack we'll throw them away. 

Can I throw one away when we've officially lost the lid for it?

yes!  you have my permission to throw it away if you can't find the lid, lol! 


do NOT put it back in the cabinet for someone else to (try to) use which leads that person to spend time cleaning out the entire plasticware cabinet only to realize that there isn't a lid for it and all that time was wasted.  <sigh>  

(that's a purely hypothetical situation, of course...  )

😂😂😂

While I agree with you in spirit … I think some people are replacing plastic because they don’t want their food stored/reheated in it, not because they’re trying to save the planet.

While I liked the OP, I agree with this. I got the vibe that she was talking about people who swap things out thinking they are helping the environment.

some plastic is a porous material and if you have a newly diagnosed allergy or medical food sensitivity you might have to replace all of your plastic at once to avoid cross contact with your new safe foods.

I did try to give away as much as possible but still had to throw some away.

my milk is in the container I buy it in until I consume it

Then the waxy cardboard container can be used for dry point etching

I bought some plastic food storage containers about a year ago from Costco. Now I wish I had purchased glass instead. I don’t worry as much about sugar and flour and things like.that, just cooked food and leftovers.

It’s expensive to replace everything at once, I just won’t but anything plastic in the future. I would love a whole new pantry storage system.

Is now the time to remind people that glass has lead in it? (When lead is ingested it can cause brain damage. This is why we test babies & toddlers for lead levels. The youngest & oldest are most susceptible to lead poisoning). The amount of lead depends on the age & quality of glass. Antique glass & crystal have higher lead contents than everyday glass & jars. So don’t store your liquor in those beautiful crystal decanters. If you want to store food in glass, buy new cheap to mid-priced glass since it has the lowest lead content. For once cheaper is better!

All that being said, I don’t follow my own advice. I’m phasing out plastic, but I’m transitioning to old glass that belonged to my great grandparents & grandparents. I also eat off the old orange-red Fiestaware. And don’t even ask about the glazes used on ceramics & China even now... Please don’t shoot the messenger.

I don't necessarily agree...I don't want to store or reheat my food in plastic, so if I had plastic containers for that purpose I would definitely replace them. However, I would probably hold on to them for some other purpose...not toss them.