The blog formerly known as   Fake Plastic Fish

Category Archives: cutlery & containers

February 4, 2011

Plastic-free Drinking Straws: Paper, Glass, & Stainless Steel

Aardvark paper drinking straw

Plastic drinking straws are a problem.  Fortunately, from reusable straws made from glass or stainless steel to disposable straws made from paper, there are plastic-free straw options for those who want to avoid plastic straws but are not willing to give up straws entirely. Paper Drinking Straws While on my trip this week, I visited Disney’s […]

January 12, 2011

Klean Kanteen introduces new Reflect plastic-free bamboo stainless steel water bottle

Until now, all Klean Kanteen stainless steel water bottles came with plastic caps: either 100% plastic or stainless with a hard plastic top. But I’m happy to let you know about the new Reflect bottle, which is completely plastic-free. Two years ago, shopping with my friend Ruchi for a new Klean Kanteen to replace the […]

August 30, 2010

Back to School Vinyl and Styrofoam. Sometimes Retro Isn’t Cool.

How often do we hear ourselves bemoaning the plastic world we’ve created and wishing we could go back to the good old days before our disposable culture got the better of us? I was having a few of those thoughts last night when I realized that as far as school lunches are concerned, some things may have […]

June 16, 2010

In Hell, they drink Le Froglet wine in individual plastic wine glasses

This morning, my friend Jenn sent me an article from the U.K.’s Daily Mail about an exciting new concept in wine: single serving portions in disposable plastic glasses. It sounds like something from The Onion or Saturday Night Live, but sadly it’s not. Le Froglet’s wine in individual glasses is flying off the shelves at […]

June 11, 2010

Toxic Food Packaging Labels

This post is about toxic adhesives used to apply labels to food packaging and whether or not those chemicals can migrate into our foods. But it’s also a convoluted story about the foul odor emanating from the general direction of my dishwasher. Stinky Dishwasher Smell If you’re my Facebook friend, you may be waiting impatiently […]

March 23, 2010

Get the Antibacterials Out… Of Your Plastic!

Many of us have seen hand soaps and household cleaners that contain antibacterial chemicals like Triclosan. But did you know many plastic food containers do too? What’s wrong with antibacterials? All this germ phobia is actually compromising the immune systems of growing children who need to be exposed to a certain amount of germs in […]

March 3, 2010

Are Compostable Utensils Really Compostable?

Their names range from the catchy (TaterWare, WheatWare, SpudWare) to the merely descriptive (Compostable utensils, PLA utensils, etc.) And while they are touted as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics, very few of them are actually compostable in a real world situation. TaterWare Take, for example, TaterWare, made from potato starch, of course. Many of the […]

February 17, 2010

Carrying Our Own Containers: Powerful Action or Pointless Inconvenience?

“Do you ever get embarrassed?” A journalist, following my plastic-free life, put that question to me as I handed the butcher my stainless steel pot. I was buying ground meat for my homemade cat food. In my own container. Waste-free. “No,” I answered flippantly. “I haven’t been embarrassed about anything since I turned 40.” But […]