We love to eat out, and I have to admit the experience can be tainted at the end if the server hands me a plastic take-out container.
Restaurants often serve massive portions. Rather than waste the tasty food, which feels wrong in so many ways, we ask the server for a take out-container. More often than not, we end up with a clamshell-type container made of Expanded Polystyrene Foam (EPS). I hate that stuff. It is made from fossil fuels and synthetic chemicals. It cannot be composted. It does not biodegrade; it simply breaks into smaller pieces. Wildlife may eat the discarded materials, which may cause injuries or death.
Fortunately, the Story of Stuff Project reports that some U.S. cities are banning polystyrene foam products. And according to a story by Greenpeace, partial or complete plastic bans are being enacted in various countries around the world. That’s great. But what’s the alternative?
Just Say No to Polystyrene Clamshells
On a recent outing at Great Sage vegan restaurant (yum), our server handed us a wonderful, little brown take-out box. The bottom of the box was marked with a wide range of environmental attributes that absolutely warm the cockles of my heart. The box I received was made by Kraft PAC, which offers a range of high-quality food packaging. The full line of Kraft PAC take-out containers includes sandwich wedges, bloomer packs, wrap packs, catering boxes, salad and lunch boxes and Ripple Wall cups. All are made with food-safe Kraft materials and are designed to provide strength and performance, while being ecofriendly. My little box lists several environmental attributes. It is made from 100% recycled paper (80% post-consumer waste) from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper mills. And the processing of the box is chlorine free. As you may know, the use of chlorine to bleach paper products is harmful to the environment and also human health. These boxes are good enough to be endorsed by the Green Restaurant Association (GRA).
What’s the Green Restaurant Association?
Founded in 1990, the GRA is an international nonprofit organization that encourages restaurants to make their operations more sustainable. With its turnkey certification system, the GRA has helped thousands of restaurants to become more environmentally sustainable in Energy, Water, Waste, Food, Chemicals, Disposables, & Building. The GRA is based in Boston, MA, and it currently operates in 47 States and Canada. Check the GRA website to find a certified restaurant in your area.
Vote with Your Dollars
The most powerful thing you can do is vote with your dollars. We all have various criteria that we use to select a restaurant. Some of those may include cost, quality of the food, atmosphere, and location. Next time you go out to eat, add sustainability to the list and think about the kind of take-out containers that they offer.
The other thing you can do is ask for a more sustainable container when the server hands you a plastic box. If possible, ask to see the manager, who’s got the authority to make a change for the better. Just speak up, and mention the Kraft PAC take-out containers, because nothing is likely to change unless the customers ask for it.
Of course, the other option is to take your own reusable container from home!
