Question: If one has to choose, which is better, aluminum foil or clingfilm? Both are recyclable when clean (in LA, at least). Both require resource-intensive processes to make. Is there a clear choice?
[I do realize that Greenfeet's recycled foil and reusable containers are much better choices, but sometimes you're at your mother's house having an argument about how to wrap that sandwich, and you just gotta know.] xo, Meg
Answer: A simple rule for environmentalists: When in doubt, go with the option that is not plastic. This rule holds for the foil vs. film conundrum you bring up.
Why’s foil better? Aluminum, like glass, doesn’t degrade (as in become something of inferior quality) through the recycling process — and thus is infinitely recyclable, as Umbra at Grist points out. In contrast, all plastic quickly degrades — and isn’t so much recycled as downcycled.
I’m also betting that aluminum foil — being technically as recyclable as aluminum cans — has much higher recycling rates than clingfilm. We know how expensive it is to recycle styrofoam and plastic bags — and how there’s little market for the resulting recycled materials of those plasticky things. According to the Christian Science Monitor:
There’s harsh economics behind bag recycling: It costs $4,000 to process and recycle 1 ton of plastic bags, which can then be sold on the commodities market for $32, says [director of San Francisco's Department of the Environment, Jared] Blumenfeld. Other refuse, like aluminum cans, are actually profitable.
And According to the L.A. Times:
[Executive director of the nonprofit Californians Against Waste, Mark] Murray stressed that the cost of recycling polystyrene foam is the most expensive in the state, citing a 2006 California Department of Conservation report that said processing the foam costs $3,320 per ton, compared with $89.72 per ton for glass.
That’s why cities are increasingly banning those things instead of wasting good taxpayer money attempting to recycle them. Somewhat unfortunately, L.A.’s gone the recycling route (styrofoam’s banned and plastic bags will soon be banned in Santa Monica) — but my guess is that the ROI on recycling clingfilm can’t be any better that for plastic bags and styrofoam.
So go with the aluminum foil. And you’re very right about recycled aluminum foil — readily available at Whole Foods, BTW — being a better choice — and reusable containers being even better ones.
Earlier: Styrofoam and the City: The fate of plastic bags and polystyrene in LA
Photo by roboppy
I try to minimize my use of both options. Leftovers can be covered with a second plate just as easily and with only ten plates in the house we don’t have forgotten mystery foods in the back of the fridge. Food waste is a very serious environmental issue.
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Comment by Martin — April 13, 2009 @ 3:59 am
I avoid both foil and cling film.
i have a great set of pyrex storage containers with tight-fitting lids which i use as much as possible, since they don’t retain odors, and when I need to wrap something, I use wax paper, which is environmentally benign.
I was at my mother-in-law’s for Easter dinner, and I wrapped MY leftovers in wax paper, even though the rest of the family was using ziplocs and foil. Even my mother-in-law had wax paper (the roll might have been years old).
From a health standpoint, I would also really encourage people to only wrap and save food that they are going to eat relatively soon. I much prefer that folks do a better job of estimating how much they’re going to eat and make just that much. Make it fresh and eat it all up– if that’s feasible.
Comment by Michael Sieverts — April 13, 2009 @ 7:38 am
I use storage containers for leftovers at home (looking for something a little more earth-friendly than gladware, though). I’m planning on getting some reusable sandwich bags for lunches:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=cat1_list_1&listing_id=23573944
And of course I take my own lunch in my reusable lunch box with my own silverware from home and a cloth napkin!
Comment by Meredith — April 13, 2009 @ 3:50 pm
Well I think we all agree that to reuse is best. Meg’s Q had to do with when you’re in someone else’s kitchen, and don’t have the reusable option :)
Comment by Siel — April 16, 2009 @ 5:27 pm