a small sample of our jars

I am not a fan of plastic. I do appreciate the convenience that plastic containers provide but I do not want plastic near my food. So what do I do? Since I buy most of our food in bulk, store leftovers in the refrigerator, and drink lots of water, I need some sort of containers. How can I live in a world covered in plastic and yet avoid it? Simple, I use glass or metal containers. I’m sure your next thought is – “Well that’s rather expensive. Plastic is so convenient and cheap.” I rarely ever need to buy a container because I am a reuser by nature.  Many of the items we buy are packaged in glass jars. I rarely ever have to buy glass jars because I reuse them. It is so easy to amass a bounty of glass containers in no time. They come in all sizes to fit just about all our needs.

Yes, I have bought Anchor Hocking glass baking/storage containers and Klean Kanteen metal water bottles. In addition, whenever we decide to make and gift applesauce, I do buy brand new canning jars. However, for the most part our containers are from reused canning jars or jars from our groceries. We have accumulated so many jars that I actually need to be more selective in which ones we keep.

I am sure you are wondering about the danger of broken glass – most jars and glass containers are made from a very dense and durable glass, much more solid than drinking glasses. In fact, we often use jars as drinking glasses. As I am sure my family can attest, I am very clumsy and have been known to drop and break my share of drinking glasses. Glass jars hold up better in our home, but plastic containers over time start to breakdown and crack.

I also use jars and glass containers when packing Mathew’s lunch for school. At first, I was concerned about the weight of his canvas lunch bag. He assured me that it was not too heavy and again the jars and containers are very durable and stand-up to being knocked around. It feels better to put his food in glass where chemicals are not leaching into his food. Moreover, when he reheats something in school, I know it is not being reheated in plastic.

So the next time you plan on recycling a glass container, think about keeping it and storing some trail mix or leftovers in it. After a while, it will become second nature.