apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

the only suggestion i have is recycled glass containers? or recycled.. reusable plastic ones..

and there is a new 100% recycled tin foil by Reynolds & if you go to their website they have a rebate offer that i think was featured on here.

I have drastically reduced my plastic use by getting one of those wooden dowel devices for drying plastic bags. Now I wash and reuse all the bags I have purchased as well as bags of food, like dried fruit that I buy in plastic and foil zip-lock bags. Those bags can be rewashed and reused just about endlessly.
A further health note: my husband is a chemist, and he says all plastic containers are constantly accumulating plasticizers on their surface as they leach out of the plastic. (this is why drinking water from plastic bottles can be unhealthy) but a bag that has just been washed has much less plasticizer accumulated on its surface.

That plastic bag drying rack has been a great investment and makes me feel very good every time I use it.

I don't think I even have Plastic wrap or Reynolds wrap in my kitchen... I'm not even really sure what you would use them for that can't be accomplished with a set of gladware and a cookie sheet.
I stopped using paper towels by hiding them under the kitchen sink so I really have to think about it to grab one. They weren't just waiting for me on the counter. I already had dishtowels, cloth napkins, (and some old cloth rags for really big messes). Occasionally I still grab a paper towel, like when kitty has a hair ball on the couch, but the same little roll has been sitting under my sink for a couple months now. Can you hide the Reynolds wrap above the stove or somewhere so it's actually more convenient to grab the tupperware or baking sheet instead? Or just let yourself run out and find other things to use instead.
If all else fails at least try to reuse the foil. If you use a every piece twice you are already cutting your waste in half.

The "new 100% recycled" aluminum foil is the same old foil we've always used. Aluminum is much much cheaper to recycle than to mine and process, and it's always been a plentiful recycled product. So it's a marketing gimmick.

I stopped my usage by simply not buying more. It forced me to think of other ways *at that moment* and to incorporate them. Saran wrap is very easy: reusable containers (tupperware, gladware, ball/mason jars) will work. Aluminum foil for reheating is a little more difficult, but keeping things in aluminum bakeware works rather well.

I've found that reusable containers meet my needs for most storage. I have some plastic wrap in my house, but only use it when I make soap to wrap it as gifts.

I use lidded roasting pans, so I don't need foil as a cover. I put silicon baking sheets on my flat pans when I'm roasting something that needs more of a sheet pan.

I've had the same rolls of aluminum foil and plastic wrap for years.

Reusable glass containers (I love canning jars) for storing stuff that you would have wrapped in plastic before, and covered baking pans/casseroles etc. for stuff you would have wrapped in foil to cook. Like the poster above, I've had one roll of foil and plastic wrap for over 5 years. (And the foil was leftover from a wacky office prank that "required" a lot of it. I was younger then.)

For plastic wrap, I got these great vacuum food sealers from the Container store. You just pop them on top of any bowl or container, then press down to seal. You can even stack!

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=74063&PRODID=10020988

I don't tend to use foil a lot, but when I do, I get the recycled, and then clean it off well after using and add to my recycling.

I also like the recommendation of finding a roasting pan with a lid.

Seriously, just DO NOT buy it. You will find a way. When it isn't in your house, you just don't use it!

I just have enough tupperware that I don't need plastic wrap.

I haven't used cling wrap or foil for more than ten years. It's not hard to do - you will soon find alternatives.

In the fridge I use glass jars, or bowls with a plate on top. The handiest container is Pyrex because it can be used the oven, microwave, fridge and freezer. You can get it with plastic lids (not suitable for ovens!) which are stackable or if you want to avoid plastic some have pyrex lids. Cheap pyrex can be found in op shops.

I also use biscuit and cake tins and domed food protectors (stainless steel mesh or bamboo). For lunches I wrap bread in a thin cotton bag and place in a lunchbox. If you want to avoid plastic stainless steel boxes are now available.

If I want to cover anything in the oven I use a dish which has a lid.

Container Store sells oven/freezer/microwave/dishwasher-safe glass containers with glass lids for a couple bucks each, in small and large sizes. They're nice enough looking to serve in as well:

http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=74063&PRODID=10015932