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Pet food is something that you buy in bulk. But how do you store it? Some people just keep it inside the bag, clip it, and leave it at that. This has the advantage of being simple and easy, but it has its drawbacks too. It doesn’t keep the food very fresh, and it doesn’t protect it at all from pests.

You might be thinking about storing pet food in plastic, metal, or glass containers. Every one of these options has its pros and cons, but let’s specifically talk about plastic.

Pros of Plastic Pet Food Storage Containers:
• You can purchase stackable storage bins for pet food. If you have multiple types of pet food and want to keep them from overtaking your kitchen, stackable containers are a perfect choice. Almost all stackable food storage bins are made of plastic.

• Plastic is lightweight. This is handy if you are storing a large volume of food in a single bin and need to be able to move it around. Lifting a heavy glass container of food up and down from a table or shelf can be difficult. A plastic bin full of food is much easier to deal with—especially if you have your kids feeding the pets.

• A plastic bin which seals can keep out moisture and keep food fresh.

• Plastic provides some level of protection against pests. It is not perfect for this purpose, but certainly better than just keeping your food in the original bag.

• Plastic is affordable and convenient. It is also versatile and easy to repurpose if there are changes in your household. A metal bin or glass container on the other hand might not be as useful for other things. Either of these is also likely to be more expensive to buy.

• Plastic does not break like glass. Sometimes pets try to get into food. With a large dog in particular, this can be a problem with glass. Imagine if you had a glass bin sitting on a table or on top of another bin and your dog knocked it down. If it shattered, you would have to replace it. Meanwhile, the broken shards would pose a hazard for your dog and any of your other pets and/or kids.

Cons of Plastic Pet Food Storage Containers:
• Plastic does not provide perfect pest protection. Some critters (like rodents) are determined and can chew through plastic. Metal or glass are better if you have these kinds of pests.

• While plastic can protect pet food from moisture, glass and metal are arguably better at it.

• Certain types of plastic may leach into food and pose a health hazard for pets. For this reason it is extremely important to check and make sure that you are using a safe food grade plastic.

If possible, metal or glass pet food storage bins are considered the best choices out there. But plastic can make a good choice too. Just make sure that the plastic you are buying is safe!