The other night, after an epic grilling fail, we had a dinner emergency and had to order takeout from a local restaurant. I try to avoid takeout, and one reason is that it usually comes in lot of plastic containers. Often these containers are black plastic, which is also not recyclable in my area. So, after a mediocre, lukewarm meal, I end up feeling guilty about all of that plastic. ugh!
But the other night, when we opened up the bag from the restaurant, we were surprised to see only these compostable cardboard containers. How many times had we ordered the same type of food only for it to show up in black plastic containers with a clear plastic top? We thought “Finally! A plastic-free solution to take out food.”
Not So Fast!
We are active composters, and I thought these containers would be the perfect plastic-free solution for take-out.
But, sadly, no. I tore up the paperboard containers and was ready to put them in the bin. But there was no indication on the containers that they were compostable, so I decided to do a little research first.
That is when the disappointment set in. For reasons that I don’t fully understand (I’ll be doing more research on this), even if these had been labeled as compostable, I probably could not compost them in my backyard setup. Even many commercial composting facilities don’t take compostable packaging because it takes too long to break down, or it contains plastic or other chemicals.
I still feel like these paper-based containers are better than plastic, but they are not the zero waste solution I was hoping for.
Demand Aluminum Containers
The best solution for take-out food is aluminum containers. Aluminum can be recycled over and over again, making it the best no-waste option.
Why don’t more restaurants use aluminum take-out containers? Maybe because their consumers do not demand it. From now on, I will be asking restaurants to use aluminum containers, and refusing to order from places that do not.
It is up to us to make sure restaurant owners know that going plastic-free is important to their business!
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