Trying to reduce plastics in packaged food is an enormous challenge. Not only are there obvious plastics such as bottles and tubs, but also “hidden” plastics such as the lining in tin cans and tetrapaks.

In this post I’m going to look at plastic packaging of beverages, and alternatives I’ve found.

Water. We rarely buy bottled water, instead preferring to filter tap water. We use Black Berkey purifiers fitted in a stainless steel British Berkefeld housing. (In the UK, I’ve found Kernowrat to have the best prices.) Fortunately, for those times when we do buy bottled water, there are still several brands available in glass bottles, such as some of the Highland Spring and Perrier lines. Mr Thrifty takes home-filtered water to work every day in a glass ex-Perrier bottle, which fits neatly into the centre console of George (our car).

Fruit & vegetables juices. Most juices are in tetrapaks, either shelf-stable or refrigerated. Don’t be fooled into thinking that refrigerated “waxed” cartons are plastic-free, because they’re not, and haven’t been in decades, apparently. Both refrigerated and shelf-stable tetrapak-type cartons are lined in plastic. There are a few juices available in glass jars, but they’re a lot more expensive than the tetrapak ones. Not even juice in glass bottles is completely plastic-free, however, as the metal lid used to seal the bottle is lined with plastic. But it’s the best store-bought alternative. I hope to experiment this summer with home-bottled fruit juices. In the photo above (l to r): Sunraysia organic carrot juice (750ml, £1.69 from Morrisons); Biona organic tomato juice (750ml, £2.04 from our food co-op); Rio d’Oro carbonated pear juice (750ml, 99p from Aldi); Dynamic Health black cherry juice concentrate (237ml [1422ml reconstituted], £2.08 from iHerb); Organic Village organic red grape juice (1L, £2.54 from our food co-op).

Tea & coffee. Instant coffee is usually packaged in glass jars with plastic lids, though we buy Douwe Egberts coffee which comes in glass-lidded jars (though the seal is probably plastic). Coffee beans, alas, are always in a plastic-lined foil pouch. Tea is easy to find in cardboard boxes.

Soya and other non-dairy milks. These are always in tetrapaks, either shelf-stable or refrigerated — unlike juice, it’s impossible to find these in glass bottles, at least in this country. Fortunately, non-dairy milk is easy and quick to make at home; our favourite is cashew milk. In fact, we prefer it to soya milk, though I still make soya milk in my spiffy SoyQuick machine, so I can make tofu from the soya milk. Anyone else have a favourite homemade non-dairy milk?

Soft drinks (soda, squash, etc). These are typically in plastic bottles or aluminium cans. Like tetrapaks, aluminium drinks cans are also lined in plastic. We buy soft drinks occasionally; fortunately there are still some available in glass bottles, including Fentimans; Lorina traditional lemonade; and Belvoir cordials. The elderflower cordial we made last summer was delicious, and I hope to experiment with other homemade cordials this summer. Pictured above (l to r): Barr’s Original cream soda with raspberry (750ml, £1.49 from Waitrose); Bright coconut juice with pulp (290ml, 99p (I think) from Wai Yee Hong); le Marché Française sour cherry lemonade (1L, £1.39 from Aldi but sadly now packaged in plastic); Fever-Tree ginger ale (500ml, £1.30 from Waitrose); Taste the Difference apple & damson pressé (750ml, from Sainsbury’s); le Panaché de Saint-Omer shandy (250ml, £1.69 for 12 bottles from Morrisons & Sainsburys); Bottle Green Blossom Cottage lemon & lime leaf cordial (500ml, £1.15 from Asda).

Beer, cider & wine. Although some brands are packaged in plastic bottles/aluminium cans (beer & cider) and boxes containing plastic bags (box wine), most brands are available in glass bottles. Last autumn I made enough cider to last a year, and we hope to become mostly self-sufficient in wine this year.

I would be interested in hearing about beverages in glass bottles that are available in other countries… are they a challenge to find, or relatively easy?

One thing I noticed when I first moved to this side of the pond is that fruit, veg and herbs are massively overpackaged in the supermarkets. A prime example is a pack of four pears, sitting on a styrofoam tray, with a plastic lid overtop, and the entire thing wrapped in clingfilm. And no indication as to any of it being recyclable. Frustratingly, the most overpackaged items are those which are organic… whereas you can buy loose conventionally-grown apples, oranges, pears, bananas, etc., their organic counterparts are almost always — at the very least — in a plastic bag or net bag, or wrapped in plastic.

I’ve been thinking about ways to minimise the amount of plastic produce packaging I buy.

* Grow more fruit, veg and herbs. This bypasses the shops entirely, and has the added benefit of being the most cost-effective. Our homegrown produce is organic and can be eaten on the day it is picked, both of which maximise vitamin content. And the “carbon footprint” is also the smallest. We are fortunate to have two allotments, plus a small front & back garden at home. We also have a couple of sunny windowsills for herb growing. But our wet climate does not lend itself to growing some kitchen staples, like tomatoes, in the amounts that we use. Furthermore, there is a limited amount of produce which can be grown over winter.

* Buy fruit & veg that does not use packaging. A few items are sold in the big supermarkets without any packaging. The two independent greengrocers in our town also sell most produce loose, as do a few of the bigger health food shops. Buying produce loose means that you can buy exactly what you need, which minimises waste. The disadvantage is that neither of our town’s greengrocers sells organic produce, and most organic produce from the supermarkets is sold packaged. (Unfortunately, there is no health food shop near us which sells produce.) But some conventionally-grown produce is low in pesticides, so that is an option. Click here to learn more about pesticide levels of fruit and veg available in the UK; and here for a similar US-based list.

* Buy fruit & veg that uses better packaging. Sainsburys gets my vote here. Their organic tomatoes, for example, are packaged entirely in compostable materials: cardboard and biodegradable plastic, both of which are not just compostable but “home compostable”. This means that the packaging — made from maize or cellulose — does not require the high heat of commercial composting in order to break down. Sainsburys seems to be the leader in not just using compostable packaging, but also informing the consumer as to the composition of packaging and whether it is compostable, recyclable, or neither. Not all of their produce is packaged this way, but that’s where they’re headed. As a side note, degradable is not the same as biodegradable. Degradable plastic breaks down faster than other plastics, but only into smaller pieces of petroleum-based plastic. Degradable plastics are not compostable, either at home or in commercial composting facilities.

* Use an organic box scheme. This isn’t really a workable solution for us, but may be for others. There are over 500 organic box schemes in the UK, which deliver organic produce every week to your home. I don’t actually know how much, if any, packaging these schemes use, but hopefully it is minimal. Click here for a list of UK box schemes. Do such schemes exist in America and elsewhere in the world? Feel free to leave a comment on your country’s options.

Taking a closer look at the produce we buy and how it’s packaged has been eye-opening. Just shopping at a different supermarket will make a noticeable difference in the amount of plastic used. Granted, it’s not as convenient: Tesco is a short stroll away whilst a trip to Sainsburys necessitates driving.

In future posts, I’ll be looking at plastic packaging and their alternatives in other grocery categories.

First off, for any of my American readers who may be thinking, “a flapjack is a pancake, and that’s not a pancake”, let me assure you that the delectable goodie in the photo above is indeed a flapjack… at least on this side of the pond. We have only one word for pancakes over here, although I should perhaps mention that an American pancake is different from an English pancake, just as an American muffin is different from an English muffin.

A flapjack is a snack bar made from oatmeal, margarine and sweeteners — usually golden syrup and sugar (or honey). Common additions are dried fruit, nuts and chocolate.

Commercial flapjacks are very popular, and can be bought pretty much anywhere. For anyone unfamiliar with just how popular flapjacks are, check out the Blackfriars Bakery website, which lists 23 different varieties of flapjacks. Commercial flapjacks are usually VERY sweet and sometimes contain questionable ingredients. They’re often not vegan either, although vegan varieties are available.

These homemade flapjacks are moist & chewy and just bursting with oaty goodness. They don’t just taste as good as the commercial variety, they taste better! They’re also very cheap and easy to make.

Furthermore, making homemade flapjacks means eliminating the plastic wrap that commercial ones have, a small step in the plastic reduction challenge.

This version is made with dessicated coconut, maraschino cherries and sultanas. I usually wouldn’t buy maraschino cherries because of the colourings and additives, but in a moment of madness I bought some a while back to put in Christmas cake, which I subsequently didn’t make.

Many thanks to Hanan of the blog Sunshine Cooking, whose flapjack recipe I modified. I substituted margarine for butter, added extra oats, cut the amount of sugar, and subbed maple syrup for honey & golden syrup (golden syrup is traditionally used for flapjacks, but I didn’t have any). They were still really sweet, so next time I’ll cut the sugar further.

Coconut cherry flapjacks

1. Grease a 22cm (9″) square pan (I used a glass pan) with margarine, then cut a piece of baking paper to cover the base and two opposite sides. Grease the baking paper with margarine.

2. Preheat oven to 180C (350F).

3. In a mixing bowl, combine oats, sultanas, flour, sugar, cherries and coconut.

4. Stir maple syrup or golden syrup into melted margarine.

5. Pour margarine over oats and mix well.

6. Press mixture into prepared pan, pressing firmly. A potato masher works well.

7. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through.

8. Cool in pan before cutting into bars.

Makes 8 flapjacks.

Plastic, plastic everywhere…

From food wrappings to drink bottles, razors to shampoo bottles, carrier bags, packaging, car bumpers, flooring, shower curtains, televisions, and on and on and on, plastic is a ubiquitous part of modern life.

It’s also become part of our ocean environment… a floating rubbish dump that stretches from Hawaii to Japan. Bad news for marine life.

This year I am really going to make an effort to reduce the plastics that I buy and use, and to look for and implement alternatives, though I’m under no illusion that I’ll be able to eliminate ALL plastics from my life.

So why am I doing this?

In terms of “short-use” plastics, like soy yogurt pots, fruit & veg trays, etc: Not all of these types of plastics are recyclable (our local council accepts types 1, 2, 5 and 6 for recycling). Non-recyclable plastics end up in the landfill, and I really want to reduce the number of items that I send to the landfill. Even those plastics which are recyclable are using energy and resources to be recycled. Plus there is the danger of chemicals leaching into food and drink from these containers, with all the associated health implications, like cancer.

In terms of “long-use” plastics, like food storage containers, clothes hangers, etc: I’m becoming fed up with how cheap and nasty some of this stuff is, how it breaks and then must be discarded. Plus they’ve got the same recycling issues that short-term plastics have when they become unusable. And the same health risks.

Then there are “hidden” plastics. Did you know that tin cans are lined with plastic, as are Tetra-pak type containers? Tin can linings contain BPA, which has been implicated in a wide range of health problems.

I’ll be looking into alternatives for all types of plastic products that I use, and sharing them on my blog, so stay tuned!

Read more:

Scientists uncover new ocean threat from plastics

Why plastic is the scourge of sea life

Plastic breaks down in ocean — and fast

Plastics component affects intestine

Heart disease risk of chemical used in food and drink containers

Cancer alert over tin can and plastic bottle chemical