Stop Waste, Stay Green at Restaurants
Dining Out Without Extra Waste
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Having a hard time staying green at restaurants? You may already carry your own reusable shopping bag to refrain from panic at the register as the cashier reaches for a plastic one. And if you have stopped dining out at restaurants for fear of Styrofoam take-home boxes or eating all 5 courses to keep the plastic to-go bags away, fear no more. Green living covers almost every aspect of life, even ridding the need of those pesky containers.
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Top Restaurant Tips
- Bring your own. When dining out, consider bringing your own BPA and lead free take-out containers and cutlery made of plant based materials (such as the starch based utensils bellow) or even a container of your own from home. Check your local stores for eco-friendly take-out containers or search online.
Other options. Before having your food packaged, ask for other containers besides Styrofoam ones. Chances are the restaurant may have biodegradable/compostable containers. If in San Francisco don’t bother asking, Styrofoam was banned almost two years ago.
- Do as you must. In the case that you have to have something put away in a Styrofoam/plastic container; ask that extra napkins/plastic cutlery not be included as this just becomes more waste.
- Drink up. When filling up your drink at the soda fountain avoid using a plastic lid or straw as this also just becomes waste.
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Common Mistakes
- Lies! If a restaurant claims to have recyclable Styrofoam chances are they don’t; Styrofoam is not commonly recycled because it is very difficult to do so.
- If plastic. If you do end up taking home a plastic container, check if it is recyclable and make sure that it gets recycled once you get home.
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Benefits
…to your health
Using BPA/lead free containers is safe to use as those components have been found to cause harm to normal human function.
…to your wallet
Sometimes bringing your own take-out containers can save you money. Some coffee shops offer discounts for those who bring their own coffee mugs.
…to the Earth
Fewer take-out containers leaving restaurants means fewer garbage in landfills and less harm to the environment, humans and animals.
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Further Reading
Side Effect of Plastic: Aggressive Kids
Safe and Healthy Water Bottles and Other Containers
January 13th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
I think that people who bring their own to-go boxes to a restaurant are insane. Yes, I understand it’s eco-friendly but it’s kinda trashy! No?
January 13th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Avoid a straw and lid? How do you tell a McDonalds drive thru that?
January 13th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
I really like htis article
January 13th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
January 15th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
omgosh this is so great! the other day i was at this restaurant with my friend and i saw this lady pull out her one take-out bowl! it was so great!
January 19th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
If a restaurant is serving so much food that you can’t finish it, that seems to be the root of the problem, no? And its own conservation issue!
January 21st, 2010 at 6:54 pm
the other night i went out to eat and they gave me a to-go plastic box that was recyclable. problem was, it was a 5 and my recycling center doesnt take 5 items