Tupperware files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

[johnb300m]

Plastics

I'll just leave my thoughts here, and not try to convince anyone of anything, since this feels like a 3rd rail topic.

My hatred of plastics came from working with lots of it in product development, and learning about how UN-recyclable it is. Learning how much of a farce the recycling symbol is.
Even working with our own product plastics, in our own molding dept, we couldn't truly "recycle" our plastic.
For many reasons being, all the additives they need to have for the initial product definition.
Things such as colorants, UV inhibitors, various ingredients from different resin suppliers. Then you had byproducts from manufacturing, like mold release, greases, and even ambient humidity.
AND even if it was the "same kind" of plastic, we couldn't recycle too much of it together to mold new parts, if the resins were from different suppliers, because their recipe is too different.
The max that could be mixed would be 10-15% "non-virgin" resin.
Otherwise things like discoloring, poor mold processing, sticking, cracking, crazing etc, could occur.

Don't get me wrong, some resins can be up to 100% recycled, but only 1 time, maybe 2, before the resin literally starts to break down and degrade. It's like heating up leftovers too many times.

So, what have I done in my life?
Moved to more reusable containers (yes some plastics). Even more glass containers for re-heating anything. Plastic NEVER goes in my microwave.
I've set myself up with reusable, glass soap dispensers, cleaning spray bottles.
I've moved to plastic-less soaps in the shower, such as bar shampoo, bar face soap, bar conditioner. These products are more available now, and actually work well.
Dish detergents that come in cardboard boxes or steel cans.
Laundry supplies in dry sheet, or pac form.
Solid tab bleach and powdered Oxy, that comes in plastic pouches vs large plastic jugs.
Even yes, I've moved to using some re-usable grocery bags, and even some mesh produce bags.
Greatly cuts down on the pile of plastic bags bursting out of the kitchen.

Just a few things I do to really minimize plastic around myself.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Thanks. That's interesting information. I use either canvas shopping bags or the ones made out of recycled plastic bottles. Most of the plastic I accumulate is packing. I take it to the one grocery store that recycles plastic bags. I use glass containers like from pickles to store some things in the refrigerator.

 

[launderess]

Plastic bags have been "banned" from shops and supermarkets for some time now around here. More is pity since one used them to line rubbish bins. So now must purchase plastic bags for that job.

As one who grew up when paper bags were used to line bins am well aware of those pitfalls and am not going back again.

Our favourite preserves (Bonne Maman) comes in glass jars. Once empty jars and lids are washed and reused for all sorts of purposes. Ditto for glass jars that once held pasta sauce and other products.

While one tries to be green and agree with many sentiments expressed is this thread on that matter, plastic containers do have a place.

Am old enough to recall when milk, juices and many other foods or other household products came in glass containers. Invariably something slipped out of someone's hands or otherwise dropped and shattered on floor. Besides contents now all over floor one had to deal with bits of shattered glass.

Not crying over spilt milk is all very well. But when that quart or whatever glass container was shattered first thing in morning it could upend breakfast.

 

[rp2813]

"It Didn't Break!"

How many of us remember that ad campaign for Prell Concentrate shampoo, touting their unbreakable plastic tube packaging?  And who knew that was just the beginning?

 

Glass milk bottles remained on the scene for quite a number of years after those flat-topped wax-coated paper containers came into use, but some local dairies did begin delivering milk in Weyerhaeuser cartons in the late '60s.  I recall reading on those cartons that instead of producing smoke when burned, they would only generate water vapor.  This was likely an early nod to environmental responsibility (incineration was still a common household activity in those days) and certainly a P.R. move by one of the world's largest timber harvesters.  I don't see the Weyerhaeuser brand on milk cartons anymore -- from the few dairies like Clover-Stornetta in  Sonoma County that still use them, that is -- and wonder if this water vapor claim still applies, because in addition to grocery bags, toxic plastic jugs that end up in China and third world countries need to be banned as well.

 

P.S.

The plastics industry got around California's bag ban by making stronger bags and stating that they're reusable, even though they are discarded just as much as their flimsy predecessors were.  Large grocery chains quickly adopted them.  There's legislation pending that will plug this loophole in the bag ban law, and this can't happen soon enough.  COVID inflicted a setback on the use of reusable bags, and people got out of the habit of bringing their own.  Only the smaller grocery chains use paper anymore.

 

 

 

 

[launderess]

Milk Cartons

Don't forget Kieckhefer Container Company!

Kieckhefer Container Company - Forest History Society

Digital Exhibit on the Kieckhefer Container Company, one of the leading manufacturers in the container industry, well-known for fiberboard, shipping containers, , milk cartons, etc.

foresthistory.org

 

[mattl]

Glass milk bottles are still around.  Some of my cousins are on a wait list for raw milk and at the moment they get non homogenized milk in glass bottles.  I have no idea why they want to take a chance with raw milk with 3 kids under 5, but whatever.

 

[tomturbomatic]

I remember when we moved to Georgia and saw many families with a cold water jug in their refrigerator. We asked to have one so when mom used up the White House Vinegar in the glass quart jar, she washed it out, filled it with water and held it up to show us our new water jug. Unfortunately, her hands were wet and the jug clipped out of her hands and crashed into the sink. I remember crying. It was frightening and disappointing. We had to wait for our cold water jug. Spilled milk sent my mother into a rage because unless ever damn drop was cleaned up, there would be a sour dairy smell.

 

[combo52]

I don’t buy anything that I throw away immediately

No plastic trash bags of any kind no paper towels, etc.

There’s no need for plastic trash bags. They prefer that the trash just be thrown directly in the trash bin anyway, with judicious use of a garbage disposal there’s no messy garbage or odor anyway my trash compactor only gets emptied once or twice a year and it does not smell.

I do save and rinse out the big bags from Costco that we get organic frozen fruit in for example, and you can use those bags again for other purposes.

John

 

[tolivac]

Same here keep disposabvle use to aminimum.No paper towels or garbAGE bags.Just throw the stuff right into the Wheelie bin provided by the city.Each house has two bins-one for trash other recyclables.Both get dumpted into a shiny new New Way side load traash truck.Only thing I take to the dump are large amounts of cardboard boxes for the cardboard bailer there.

 

[askolover]

We use the plastic bags from Walmart and such for waste baskets. My compactor only gets dry trash, anything wet , bloody, or smelly goes straight to the curb. I got rid of most of my plastic storage containers in favor of Pyrex. Still keep a couple of larger ones for pizza leftovers or cookies. My mom still has Tupperware she bought in the 80's!

 

[whitewhiskers]

best or worst advice for recent college graduate?



I wonder if plastics will eventually be included as one of the worst technology inventions to come out of the 20th century along with Freon and leaded gasoline. Seems like every day there's a news story of how plastics are destroying the planet and us.

 

[moparwash]

Classic Commercial

 

[launderess]

See ideas for beating the high cost of eating by "locking in" freshness!



OMG!

Mother had so many of pieces shown in this catalog. In fact remember leafing through catalog at kitchen table and being told not to mess it up.

 

[polkanut]

All of our Tupperware is from the 1970's. It's all orange, yellow, avocado, and brown. We usually pick up pieces at estate/tag sales, and charity/thrift shops. We also have some Stanley Flex bowl sets. Stanley Flex was a Tupperware knockoff. It was given out as a hostess gift for hosting Stanley Home Products parties. I've attached a photo of one of our Stanley sets. 

 

[circlew]

I remember my mom having a Stanley party when I was very little. She got a cake knife and a grapefruit knife, which I still have.

 

[tolivac]

Doesn't Tupperware have a large factory in Florida? Somewhere remember reading about that.

 

[Ultramatic]

 

 

We had quite a few pieces when I was growing up. My aunt was a sales rep.

 

In Spain, any plastic container with a plastic lid, regardless of brand,  is called "un Tupper".

 

[jamiel]

Not sure they ever actually manufactured in Kissimmee/Orlando. Their last plant was in Hemingway, South Carolina (have an acquaintance who sells Tupperware and he went there about 10 years ago after a sales contest).

 

[henene4]

"Tupperdose" which word by word would translate to Tupper can or box is a German catch all for any reusable plastic food storage container.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

NOOOOOOOO! WHY! Tupperware. Why?

I'd hate to see them go out of business! Not good. Why? Who will replace them?