It has taken me a year to get rid of plastic wares in my kitchen ! No, seriously, I heard about the effects from my sister in law who came visiting us and was really concerned about giving water from plastic bottles to her kids. Anyways she was boiling off the water so I was in the assumption that she was more worried about the germs.

Then a few talks about how she has shifted to glassware and steel wares. She seeded the thought by saying that start minimizing till you can get rid of all of them.

So I started slowly throwing off all the collection of small plastic boxes which were really a nuisance as far as storage was concerned but a great help when I was using microwave. Since I had stopped using microwave 2 years back, it was just a matter of picking these boxes and throwing away. So that day my maid was extremely pleased as she had the new possession of more than 30 boxes.

Then the fad kind of faded from my mind.

Went to Delhi and again saw my sister had completely switched to glass bottles. Damn, my kids are small and maid is clumsy to handle glass water bottles.

I searched on Google for any steel bottle but could find none. All the search results landed on steel flasks. I thought why not steel flasks.

So asked my mother in law who has a huge collection of gift ware still unpacked in the basement, if she had any steel flasks. And she hunted 2 large ones. I was pleased.

Then came home and found 3 more steel flasks lying around. Then I found the 2 designer steel jugs that were so heavy that I could never dare to place on my glass dining table, a large ice pail from my dying bar and liquor mixer again used probably once all in steel. I am missing my steel water filter which I had donated to my maid in Mumbai thinking it was too below my standards to use steel filters and moved to the aqua guard. I must find one again.

So armed with these steel water containers, I gave away the plastic bottles again to my happy maid.

I told her the reason lest she later curse me. She told me, “I will die of lack of water before I die of plastic related diseases!” So she gave me a good thought for the day. We can think beyond once our basic needs are taken care of…

Meanwhile I shifted to the metal water bottles for my boys too. Really cool ones from Landmark.

Slowly I had shifted to glass wares which somehow were accumulated due to microwave.

Then arose my dilemma of lunch boxes for the kids.  I frantically searched all the malls nearby but found none. They always showed me the steel masala dubba ! I found at Spencers a set of 3 steel boxes but with round plastic lids with no latches. All my happiness vanished my younger son made a sad face after he came back from the school, saying all the mango pieces fell out of the box as the lid was not tight. I remembered those steel tiffin boxes we used to take to school. So I am still on the look out for steel lunch boxes. May be a visit to laxmi road is due. Anyone who knows a shop where they sell really good steel boxes preferably rectangular ones, do let me know. Meanwhile, I am back to the aluminum foils to wrap the rolls which prevents direct contact with the plastic.

Next came the refrigerator.  I do not store anything other than easily perishable so it was not a difficult task but the freezer section is still a concern. Keeping food in steel and not being able to see is a pain. Anyways all the Ziploc are out. I am still searching for a good option for freezer section to store the non-veg and dry fruits.  I wish now they would make aluminum lined Ziploc.

Few people who are really happy with my no plastic ware decision are my kids along with the maids. Both have got all the plastic containers. My two sons have been transferring their bayblades, cards, crayons, clays and all kinds of toys which can fit into whichever box. My older son collects junk like I used to in my tiny aluminum box which was a miniature suitcase. He has all over the house several crushed paper balls, glass beads, old rakhies, cuttings and stones of various shapes which have found a new home. But the best was when he could store the various chemical (as per him) concoction which he is inventing out of tooth paste, eraser bits, pencils shavings, colors, water and shampoo.

Keep reading my next post will tell you why I shifted to NO Plastic Ware.