Chicago Restaurant Co-op Expands Use of Eco-Friendly Takeout Containers
So you’ve made the switch to reusable shopping bags, and you’re feeling pretty good about being able to answer the eternal grocery store question of “paper or plastic?” with a hearty “Neither!” But when you’re not doing the cooking at home, you probably don’t get a choice about avoiding much of the plastic packaging that keeps your food warm and safe on its journey from the restaurant to your home.
If you’ve ever felt a pang of guilt about how much garbage is created when ordering takeout, you’ve got good reason. All those disposable containers and plastic bags made from petroleum create an environmental impact that goes on long after you’ve enjoyed the last of your Pad Thai leftovers. According to one report cited on Treehugger, over 1 million plastic bags are consumed in this country every minute. How many of those bags wind up in landfills after one use or, worse, end up wreaking havoc on marine life in the world’s oceans, is difficult to calculate. But it’s a trend that has been on a troubling upswing for a long time.
To address this problem, an increasing number of restaurants and other food service providers have started to switch from petroleum-based plastic take-out items to compostable products made from renewable resources, such as corn (PLA) and sugar cane fiber (bagasse). One of the major barriers that restaurants face when switching to such bio-based containers, however, is a painful difference in cost.
For example, restaurateur Dan Rosenthal who runs casual-Italian minichain Sopraffina Marketcaffe in Chicago found that he would pay a heavy price to replace the 400,000 non-biodegradable plastic bags he went through each year. The switch would entail 7 cents more per bag, for a total of $28,000 every year.
Do you really need all of those napkins, straws, forks, or packets of ketchup? Probably not. At least not that many. While convenient and hygienic, these small things add up to a lot of waste. The next time you stop in for a quick bite, cut back on the take-away of your take-out.