Why? It can’t be a good idea if a box holding our meals for minutes, poisons the land & ocean for centuries.
TAKEAWAY FACT
The dreaded clamshell polystyrene box is the worst one of all.
Takeout containers and accompanying paraphernalia contribute to colosal amounts of waste. The destination? At best landfill; at worst destroying marine life. That’s basically it, no explanation needed.
Besides, at current levels, emissions from the plastic lifecycle threaten the possibility of keeping global temperature rise below the crucial 1.5C. We need to cut it fast.
Compostable and biodegradable packaging is slowly coming to the market but that’s not really the answer. It’s still single-use waste that took energy to produce and, at present, rarely ends up in a place where the conditions needed to enable it to biodegrade exist. That said, it’s great to see places like Just Eat trialing seaweed sachets for sauces. Bakeys are the true innovators truly solving the problem by making spoons EDIBLE.
Ok got it. So how do I take action?
Looking after the planet, like looking after ourselves, means being conscious not abstinent! So lets treat ourselves to takeout, and when we do, crucially keep our eyes peeled for single-use anything and do our best to avoid it. For example:
On Deliveroo or Just Eat, look out for settings that allow you to refuse cutlery, sauces etc
In a takeout shop (fish & chips etc) use the condiments you have at home vs sachets
Refuse the plastic bag that it’s more than likely offered in
Refuse the straws and napkins
And, for the gold standard, take your own containers and ask them to fill them instead
As a footnote, most of us get a takeaway when we’re tired, too busy or have had a bad day and it’s just too much of an effort to cook. One of the easiest ways to get around this takeaway fall-back is to make larger quantities when we do cook, freezing half for another meal, so all we’ve got to do is take it out of the freezer in the morning or defrost in a micro when we’re home.
But will it cost me more money?
Nope
We…
Aimee: I’m a sucker for a pizza on a Friday and here’s what I try and do…get a non-greasy pizza so the box can be recycled, use my own sauces at home and go veggie for bonus points!
Sonia: My local Indian takeaway has got used to me turning up with my tiffin carrier, which they fill while I wait. It chills me out. Waiting there, instead of rushing. And they give me extra poppadoms for the planetary effort ;-)
“Taking is taking
”
Yogi Bhajan