Jean in Newcastle Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I found MIL's Styrofoam meat tray collection yesterday as I was cleaning out the kitchen cabinets. Do you think this is a safe practice? The collection mysteriously disappeared between their old house and the new. I wonder what happened to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Are you talking about the styrofoam that is in raw meat packages? I do not think one can adequately clean this because of the surface, so no, I would not reuse those. (I reuse almost all plastic containers, but would draw the line there.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I would not reuse something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I have washed them thoroughly with soap and water and then reused them for kids' art projects. They are great for holding glue or paint, and also for simple block printing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 Yes, the trays that hold raw meat. And she used them for food, not art. Ds15 told me "I'm never eating anything prepared by Grandma again." Wait until I clean out her fridge today. . . The sad thing is that some of the mold etc. that we are finding in foods is months old. Dh made me promise to do it first thing. He is afraid that if she sees me throwing things out, she will stop me and will transport the food and eat it. The sad part is that MIL and FIL both have some pretty nasty G-I things going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heatherwith4 Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Eww. No, that's not something I would try to reuse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Even for Art, I can find plenty of other containers in the house that could hold paints and glues - stryrofoam/plastic from fruits and vegetables would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 No. You cannot get it clean enough to reuse for anything. That fridge sounds scary. Bless you for doing it, Jean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniBlondes Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Absolutely not, for any reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 ewwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeee :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I wouldn't reuse them for anything. Not even art projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Scary! Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I found MIL's Styrofoam meat tray collection yesterday as I was cleaning out the kitchen cabinets. Do you think this is a safe practice? The collection mysteriously disappeared between their old house and the new. I wonder what happened to it? Oh, yuck! Didn't you say she is an RN? How could she not know better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 *cringe* *shudder* *gack* Uh...no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 Oh, yuck! Didn't you say she is an RN? How could she not know better? I'm finding that there is a lot of hoarding of food and food related items that seems to have some basis in having gone through WWII in the Philippines when people were literally starving. So she saves things that she has no need to save. (There are plenty of safe plastic containers). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Ewww! I can't imagine them getting clean enough to use for any other purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mango Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 My grandmother did this. :lol: Ewww! We threw out her collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 No, I would never save them to reuse. When I needed them for co-op crafts, I asked the butcher if I could buy some & he gave me a dozen new trays at no charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 It's pretty common for people from their generation, growing up during the depression, to do that. I remember my grandparents saving them. I think we used them as paint trays. We never got sick from it. :D Don't worry- I don't keep them! You can eat stuff from my house- I don't use kitchen containers for barf buckets, either! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillfarm Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I used to have to inspect marine mammal facilities for the state of FL. We would not allow them to keep the dolphin food in any styrofoam because it couldn't be properly sanitized. There are tiny spaces between the styrofoam particles that can harbor germs and it is difficult to clean those areas and even harder to be able to detect whether you have gotten them clean. So if it would be too dangerous for Flipper, I'd think it would be too dangerous for your relatives. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 No. You cannot get it clean enough to reuse for anything. That fridge sounds scary. Bless you for doing it, Jean. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Oh, too bad those got lost in the move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 No way José! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I'm finding that there is a lot of hoarding of food and food related items that seems to have some basis in having gone through WWII in the Philippines when people were literally starving. So she saves things that she has no need to save. (There are plenty of safe plastic containers). Oh, this makes sense. People who have lived in this kind of panic and deprivation never forget it nor do they ever seem to feel completely safe and secure. Bless her, poor thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I'd use some to make napalm as a (carefully supervised) science experiment and toss the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I'm finding that there is a lot of hoarding of food and food related items that seems to have some basis in having gone through WWII in the Philippines when people were literally starving. So she saves things that she has no need to save. (There are plenty of safe plastic containers). Yeah, my dad has some of these tendencies, too. You're a very kind DIL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I'd use some to make napalm as a (carefully supervised) science experiment and toss the rest. We used to do that as kids, except for the (carefully supervised) part :D Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Nope! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Nope, wouldn't reuse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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