Day 8 (and 9)Tin cans (lined with plastic)

The Tomato dilemma

This weekend we did a lot of cooking, and we used a couple of tins of Australian grown tomatoes. Before we started our plastic free July challenge we knew that tin cans are usually (but not always) coated (with an epoxy resin) to prevent them from reacting with the food and oxidising. Therefore they are not technically plastic free. In an effort to move towards plastic free we could:

• stop, or reduce the amount of cooking we do with tinned tomatoes;
• use fresh tomatoes, which we do when they are in season and cheaper, and will continue to do; or
• switch to glass bottles of passata for cooking, but, and it's a big but all of the passata sold in our local grocery stores is made from imported tomatoes.

Plastic free July for us means making deliberate choices to buy and consume less plastic. Our goal was never to become a strict plastic free household, but a household that produces as little waste as possible based on: Refusing, Reducing, Reusing and as a last choice, recycling.

So, in our efforts to support local produce over imported we are going to stick with our tins of tomatoes and take some comfort that we are reducing the amount we consume (by choosing more seasonal vegetables when fresh tomatoes are less abundant) and reusing the cans before we recycle them.

Some of our families suggestions and ideas we'd love to share:

• Up cycle! We've had so much fun with our planter pots, and most have lasted a couple of seasons. They are a great way to grow lettuce and rocket slug free before the soil warms up.
• Eat more seasonal vegetables. They are usually fresher and better quality, cheaper, and over the course of the year you'll eat a greater variety of foods. Try the Sustainable Table seasonal produce table.

Questions

How far are you prepared to go to be 'plastic free'?