Food packaging is a major driver of household plastic waste. These single-use plastics are not only hard on our environment, but they threaten our health, create economic challenges, and jeopardize food security. At Hummingbird we are committed, to being part of the solution.
Pollution:
- Single-use plastics are rarely recycled—most end up in landfills, incinerators, or in the natural environment. They take hundreds of years to degrade, and in the meantime, break down into microplastics.
- These tiny plastic particles have been found in oceans, rivers, soil, and even the air we breathe.
- Wildlife mistake plastic for food, leading to injury or death, which disrupts ecosystems and can impact the food chain.
Human Health:
- Plastics like polystyrene and PVC can leach harmful chemicals (like BPA, phthalates, and styrene) into food—especially when heated or when in contact with fatty, salty, or acidic foods. These chemicals are linked to hormonal disruption, cancer, neurological issues, and developmental problems.
- Studies have found microplastics in human blood, organs, breast milk, and feces. The full health implications are still being researched, but concerns include inflammation, immune response, and potential long-term toxicity.
Waste Management Costs:
- Municipalities spend billions dealing with plastic waste, which is a cost borne by taxpayers. Countries around the world struggle with plastic pollution due to lack of waste infrastructure.
Food Security:
- Plastics in the ocean harm fish populations, which millions of people rely on for protein and income. There’s growing concern about plastic entering the food chain through seafood and even produce exposed to microplastic-laden water or soil.
Imagine stepping into your kitchen, where the clutter of crinkly plastic wrappers and overflowing bins is replaced by beautiful glass jars. Colorful beans, flour, cooking oils, dried fruit, and nuts fill the jars, while fresh product is neatly kept in cloth bags. Beeswax wraps keep your leftovers fresh. Everything feels intentional, calm, and real.
You're not just buying food anymore—you’re making choices that reflect your values. Every time you say no to plastic, you're saying yes to cleaner oceans, healthier bodies, and a future where your grandchildren can thrive. This represents a powerful mindset shift; cooking with less plastic doesn’t just benefit the planet—it often means eating less processed, and healthier food choices.
At Hummingbird, we are proud to champion this essential shift. All of our oils, liquid sweeteners, and vinegars come in reusable glass or plastic containers. Our dry goods are sold mainly in bulk bins, empowering you to significantly reduce or eliminate single-use plastic packaging. Since starting our Container Return & Reuse program in 2003, we’ve sanitized and reused over 181,000 pounds of plastic containers and over 100,000 pounds of glass jars and jugs. That translates to an impressive 76% reuse rate at Hummingbird. Just think of the single-use plastic we can eliminate when consumers bring their own clean containers to refill our products in the bulk aisle at your natural food store or co-op.
Refilling a glass container can save up to 90% of the energy required to recycle that same glass container.
Here’s why:
- Recycling is an energy-intensive process of sorting and collecting used glass, transporting it to and from homes to facilities, melting it down in furnaces at around 2732°F and molding it into a new containers.
- Reusing and Refilling simply involves cleaning and sterilizing a glass container then refilling it—that's it.
In Europe, where refill systems for bottles such as beer and milk are more common, these practices have proven to be far more energy- and resource-efficient than recycling.
Saying no to single-use plastic means choosing a healthier body, healthier communities, and a cleaner planet. Join Hummingbird in creating a more sustainable future.