I just made my own cashew milk from cashew butter which came in glass jars (quick, easy, and already consumed). However I worry about whether there are chemically active plasticizers in the soft ring of the metal cap on the nut butters. But even more I wonder about whether there are chemicals in the plastic liners of aseptic packing which migrate into the food. If so, the danger may increase with long term storage and/or in hot places.
I have long avoided Tetra packs, since they are probably energy- intensive to recycle and because I wondered about the safety of the plastic lining. More recently, I have stopped buying almost all canned goods since I learned most "tin" cans are coated with plastic containing BPA, an endocrine disruptor with MANY serious effects on humans and the ecosystem. Some brands of stretchy food wrap also contains BPA (especially if its vinyl). "Clear" shrink tight window plastic is also vinyl, so it's off-gassing BPA while it's reducing your fuel bill. Too bad we are asked to make trade-offs between energy efficiency and personal and ecological health. (Unfortunately glass takes almost as much energy to recycle as it does to make in the first place, and I don't think that even includes transportation--so REUSING glass seems the best way to go. Remember local bottling plants with refillable bottles?) Margaret On Dec 25, 2008, at 5:30 PM, Thomas Shelley wrote: > At 01:37 PM 12/25/2008, you wrote, in part: >> Take milk for example. Much of the rest of the world uses aseptic >> packaging technology for packaging milk. As a result milk can sit >> on the shelf in a tropical environment for up to six months without >> refridgeration. It is also available in small enough packaging that >> it can be consumed in a day or less, thus elimination the need for >> home refridgeration after the package is opened. > > Dear George and Friends--Yes, this is a good thing in a way in terms > of many populations receiving a higher nutrient level, and especially > a blessing in many underdeveloped countries. However, there is a > serious problem with Tetra, the patent holder and manufacturer of the > world's aseptic packaging, and recycling in some areas. Aseptic > packages can be completely recycled into fiber (paper), aluminum > (foil) and plastic (the coatings, caps), less the adhesives, but in > many (most?) areas of the world these packages go to the landfill > instead. This represents a tremendous quantity of resources and > embodied energy going down the tubes. In some states, like Brazil, > the governments threatened to ban Tetra products unless Tetra agreed > to recycle their products. So they did. Maybe they are doing a lot > more now globally, but I suspect that most still go to the landfill > or, even worse, the incinerator. I haven't seen any lifecycle cost > analysises, but I suspect that it is less expensive, less energy > intensive and less GHG producing to supply refrigeration, with > adequate product life as Joel pointed out, than is to supply the > needed quantity of Teta packs on a global basis. Jus' my $.02. Tom > > P.S.: If almond milk, rice milk, dairy products, etc., came in > reusable glass containers we would be waaayyy ahead in terms of > energy, GHG emissions and resources, even with the cost of > transporting and cleaning the glass containers. It's the "throw > away" mentality that promotes wastage and abuse of resources, energy > and the rapidly deteriorating environment. > > ****************************************** > Tom Shelley > 118 E. Court St. > Ithaca, NY 14850 > 607 342-0864 > [email protected] > http://www.myspace.com/99319958 (Just updated 12-22-08.) > http://www.facebook.com/129295929#/home.php (Last updated 12-16-08.) > > Compost Educator and Sustainability Scion > > Buy products in glass, not plastic! Recycle all of your glass > bottles. > > The percentage of PET recycled is declining. > > PET Recycling Rages Graph > > Source: National Association for PET Container Resources, American > Plastics Council > Note: 39% of plastic recycled in 2003 was PET. > _______________________________________________ > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County > area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [email protected] > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > Questions about the list? ask [email protected] > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
