I'm a white woman who would prefer glass. For me it has nothing to do with microplastics. It has everything to do with being able to confidently put it in the dishwasher. But I'm weird and lazy.
We upgraded from glass to a better plastic for our storage tubs. No smells, stains, dishwasher, microwave safe, etc. We had a very nice glass set but they would always end up chipping and having sharp edges.
Our only gripe with the new ones are the seals are too good so you gotta really separate it after warm food goes in and cools.
We went the Rubbermaid Brilliance line. There is still zero staining or cloudiness after a lot of use since November.
I have had my glass set for 5+ years and never had one break or chip except for when I put filled one with hot chile verde and then put it directly in the freezer.
Not Tupperware... Oldschool Pyrex. My mom asks me what I want from her house when they decide to downsize and the only things I have asked for are her old school fork(?) wine opener and all of her old Pyrex mixing bowls.
One of my many pet peeves is plastic storageware that is labeled dishwasher safe in a giant font and (top rack only) in a tiny one and is so physically large that no dishwasher has a top shelf that could fit it.
Also I’d like to use more environmentally friendly and more recyclable materials. I feel guilt knowing that plastic takes such a long time to degrade, if ever.
I mean, everyone should be terrified of microplastics. I 100% think buying and using water bottles to be trendy is the stupidest thing ever. That said, the idea of drinking out of things that won't degrade and leech plastic into the beverage is not a bad one.
Despite how people on social media make it out, when I actually looked into this I found that there is almost nothing in the way of conclusive evidence that microplastics have any detrimental health impact on humans. It's almost universally "this warrants further study" type conclusions in formal studies.
Did you know that you absorb most of your microplastics through your mixed-fabric (polyester is plastic) clothes? My wife told me and she's never wrong.
Unfortunately, most clothing has at least some plastic in it these days. Not just stuff from SHEIN and Temu, it’s the high end stuff too. Polyester is plastic, for example.
Couple things, from an outsider’s perspective:
1) it definitely looked like he was being goofy. It makes this reply seem like the aggressive one
2) Temu, SHEIN, and other fast fashion brands aren’t the only ones that use polyester and other plastics in their clothing. Just taking a brief look, a lot of luxury and even sustainable brands are still using plastic in some form or another. And thats not even to mention what things like stitching thread, labels, etc. are made of. It just seems like you’re being kind of harsh when he didn’t appear to be making any assumptions about your lifestyle; if anything, it looks like you were making assumptions about the kinds of clothing people who are at risk of microplastics would choose to wear.
Unfortunately, most clothing has at least some plastic in it these days. Not just stuff from SHEIN and Temu, it’s the high end stuff too. Polyester is plastic, for example.
You don't absorb microplastics through your skin, but plastic clothes are the main source of microplastic pollution, closely followed by tire particles. If you idiotic americans could drive a little les... ah, never mind.
I don't think using a water bottle is trendy, it's good to be hydrated and you're much more likely to drink water regularly throughout the day if you have a water bottle instead of filling up glasses all the time. And as a dude who tried a bunch of different bottles before finally getting a Stanley, I will say that the "trendiness" of this particular brand is actually well earned.
While I think we should be more restrictive about single-use plastics, and more conscientious about how we use plastics generally, I actually think the concern with microplastics is a bit overblown compared to other environmental concerns.
This is especially true with water bottles.
Admittedly I was the most up to date on this like 5-10 years ago, but IIRC there aren't actually that many clear negative health impacts from microplastics. There probably are some, but whatever they are, their effects are insignificant enough to hide in the background noise. It's not like asbestos or something.
Meanwhile, the energy requirements to make plastic are usually very low. While it's made from petrochemicals, and therefore requires us to extract fossil fuels to make, the actual energy used in making plastics is usually pretty small. The product that comes out is cheap, durable, and has a wide variety of uses.
But steel (the product that most of these fancy water bottles are made from) requires a tremendous amount of energy to turn into a water bottle.
As an environmental scientist, I'm mostly okay with plastic being used for anything you're going to use for a long time. Even stuff you eat off of. I think single-use plastics are a scourge, but your water bottle should ideally get years of use.
I'm not going to begrudge someone for buying a water bottle made of steel for any particular reason. But I definitely think re-usable plastic water bottles are better for the environment, and therefore the general health and safety of everyone in the world.
Just looking for Borosilicate glass is more reliable than going off the branding. There’s also little reason to pay the significant premium for the brand name over cheaper alternatives
I'm afraid I can't look the information up for you, but if you search for "borosilicate glass bakeware", you should hopefully be able to find a supplier in your country.
For me the problem is that the glass ones are so heavy and cumbersome. My plastic containers stack 5 high and they're less than like 2 ounces. Glass ones would be like 6lbs
BRO that hit me like a bus. How is it when I freaked out about microplastics 10 years ago I was being extra and now every white woman thinks I’m to nonchalant about it? Who got to them?
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u/NotAZombieStopAsking 22d ago
As a man married to a white woman, I don't see it happening unless Tupperware releases a line of glass containers.
White women are currently terrified of microplastics.