Waste Aboard ??

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by wingNwing

When seas are rough, I'm not particularly interested in cooking, and those prepackaged meals can save energy and water. Just like dried beans and a pressure cooker are fine at anchor, and problematic underway, where canned sometimes make more sense.
For those premade meals, or wine in boxes, we ditch the cardboard while still ashore, and just keep the foil pouches and bags.

Look for the CF thread on Vacuum packing food, etc. The Vac-u-seal machines can be used to make your own "prepacked" meals for underway with the only packaging being the plastic bag you put the prepared food into.
- - If you are set on using commercial prepackaged meals then strip all the packaging and put the meal's pouches into a zip-lock baggie to keep them together until use. But normally those commercial prepackaged meals are really expensive and you may not know if the meal is any good considering your personal tastes.
- - With the vacuum packed meals you prepare yourself you know the food and whether you like it or not.

[capn_billl]

Good suggestions. I like the vacuum packer idea.

I have switched to buying my bottled water in 1 or 2 gallon containers and using a reusable glass, (or a leftover bottle), for individual drinks.

Cooking meals from bulk noodles, flour etc... does reduce waste, but also decreases convenience. I will work on removing packaging, and buying food with minimal packaging, but there is still room for improvement, ... somewhere.

[gonesail]

Originally Posted by avb3

What's a packing boy? Haven't seen one of those since I was, um... much younger

still have them at publix supermarkets they will even take your stuff out to your car if you ask.

[zeehag]

car?? who has one a doze?????/ car????/ eeeps.....

[osirissail]

It is in most of the provisioning for cruising books and is also passed down from experience cruiser to newbie - - Remove all packaging that is made of any form of cardboard like the boxes cereal comes in. Also never allow paper grocery bags onboard your boat.
- - Both cardboard boxes/packaging and paper grocery bags are put together with glue that contains many, many roach eggs. It doesn't take long before your boat is infested.
- - Plastic or plasticized inner bags are fine although we transfer most things, especially pasta noodles, etc. into sealed plastic storage containers - Rubbermaid, Tupperware, etc. Over time you get a large assortment of these food storage air tight containers usually in sizes that fits your cabinets and storage compartments.

[zeehag]

do not forget to remove all instructions as to how to use the contents of the package and all identifying markinga, as well. that way ye really know what to cook and how ..i use spray and poison to a max an dmake sure my packaging isnt carrying..LOl havent had a roach in my boat .... the major carrir of eggs and buglets is corrugated cardboard. there really isnt any room in the mush packaging cereals and bisquik to harbor eggs and buglets, but if you are worried, SPRAY POISON -- that works great. then stick the boxes into snap top containers or ziplok baggies to isolate from other things..works great. s far as the trash leftover from packaging when you need to dispo it-- stomp it small and wrap in plastic bags and placeinto a space in boat not being used for anything else until ye come to port or a bin/recepticle for same. LOL. organic stuff goes overboard to feed fishies and leaves no stinky in boat.

[Hannah on 'Rita T']

It's a cruiser's myth that the glue contains roach eggs. Roach egg shells are b-i-g, we see too many around here for me not to be an expert. Roaches hide and I expect hatch in the ripples of corrugated cardboard because there is enough room there. Roaches may eat the glue, that I don't know about, but the glue doesn't contain their eggs.

[sarafina]

Good point Rita!

And the casing is not the egg really, nymphs are in the casing and there are a ton of them, so when one of these babies hatches.. you get a swarm of them.

But they do not just appear from invisible cracks. Easy to spot and remove... I have seen them as big as my little pinky nail.

[zeehag]

finally some folks with BRAINS...LOL
is incredibly easy to condemn ALL packaging material because a shipping material has corrugations and therefore can hide eggies.LOL... but get real--inside a bisquick box cardboard or cereal box cardboard???? momma told me about folks who do this generalizaton and condemnation stuff--LOL..prepackaged foods are fine in their packaging. just roll it up tight whenye dispo it and keep it in a place not used on board until you arrive at a place with dispo units for trash. LOL and dont put anyhting stinky or that rots in trash.
easy, wasnt it????

[bgallinger]

You tell 'em Zee!! lol

[osirissail]

Old wives tales may not be "scientifically" based, but when I was describing the same to another cruiser in a market, we lifted open a paper sack from the stack and inside was two roaches (and not the funny smoking kind).
- - But in any case, roaches or not, getting rid of the "excess" packaging before putting the groceries on board is easier than doing it afterwards. IMHO

[zeehag]

roach wanderings is why i use SPRAY........LIBERALLY on everything i bring into boat.

[MarkJ]

The cockroaches that get onto boats don't lay invisable eggs. They come in lil egg pods.
here is the little devil and babies of different ages and the pod they start off in.

Cockroaches
You can see the pods are far too large to get into cardboard and not be seen.

So I do take cardboard onto Sea Life.
Its far easier to store cases of food, beer, soft drinks etc.
I do inspect for pods.
I do spray and keep the boat clean (OK it would be cleaner is some chic would capitulate) and always have a few roach hotels for any that find their way on board.

[Last Call]

I guess you can only eat so much seafood .

[SaucySailoress]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

My wife strips off and disposes of the excess packaging before she leaves the supermarket.

I think if we all did this, and supermarkets had to dispose of the unnecessary packaging, then it would open their eyes to the unnecessary waste.

I, for one, never take cardboard cereal packs on the boat. Or the boxes that Nutrigrain bars come in. Mainly because somehow they'll get soggy and make a mess, and I have to clean it up. But since the cereal bags are so inadequate, I have to then put the cereal in ziplock bags. Hence the bag is a waste too. Even at home, I have to rebag cereal to stop roaches getting in there!

I don't think manufacturers think very carefully about how they package products!!