The to-go packaging from Meredith’s lunch included an assortment of food in containers, a disposable plate and plastic utensils, a brown paper bag, and a plastic bag
I have a confession to make. Last Thursday, this was my lunch: chicken and vegetables, and a side of brown rice, emerging from a case of plastic and paper like Metroyshka dolls. I hate waste. Can’t you tell?
This summer I interned with the NYC Department of Sanitation’s (DSNY) Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling in the Financial District. Every day I diligently packed my lunch into reusable containers, toted it in my reusable lunch bag, and enjoyed it on a sunny bench where I could absorb the sights and sounds of Lower Manhattan. But last Thursday was different.
When rain put a damper on the department’s planned picnic lunch, 12:00 rolled around and I was stuck — hungry and lunch-less. Not a big deal, right? In this financial capital cum tourist mecca there are literally hundreds of cafes, restaurants and food trucks serving a veritable smorgasbord to high-powered Wall Streeters and glassy-eyed tourists alike. But it all, unfortunately, comes with too much to-go food packaging.
The To-Go Food Packaging Conundrum
Oyster boxes exemplify disposable to-go food packaging waste — they can rarely be used more than once (Image credit: Earth 911)
Setting aside the economic and nutritional implications of regularly indulging in these local menus — aptly inflated for the financial and roving sets — have you ever seen what a take-away lunch looks like?
A slice of pizza? Sure, take the whole box.
Or the sandwich: a mummified meal, triple-wrapped in paper and foil, flanked by a single-serve bag of chips, towering stack of napkins, and a fountain drink in a wax-lined, non-recyclable cup — all entombed in plastic that doubles as a carrier and an easy, one-shot refuse holder.
Or maybe the crisp green salad, tossed in its sadly well-intentioned compostable container that is nevertheless destined for the landfill — where an organics collection bin is not to be found (or the diner doesn’t realize the difference.) Or perhaps the worst of the batch, the hot lunch in Styrofoam. Need I say more?
A true ode to American consumption and convenience. Welcome to New York City.
The convenience of to-go packaging is wasteful when you only use those disposable containers and utensils once
On that particular day, I placed my lunch order at the Chinese restaurant behind my building and the next thing I knew I was walking out with a meal smothered in plastic and paper packaging waste. Yes, I brought my reusable bag with me but I had no choice in the hectic lunch-hour rush but to accept the pre-packaged fare. In the restaurant’s defense, I am not their typical customer. Most diners I suspect would have welcomed the excessive service.
So What Can We Do About All This To-Go Food Packaging Waste?
On the surface, the problem is straightforward: excessive to-go food packaging waste.
From a systems perspective, we have our stakeholders:
First, hungry diners deciding what to purchase and eat — and what to do with the remains at the end of the meal; Next, food vendors preparing and selling food — and using to-go food packaging to deliver their product conveniently and at its best — at the correct temperature, un-smooshed and ready to savor. And, we can’t forget the waste management personnel — they’re the ones who have to collect and manage the remnants of this prandial transaction — and make sure the city is clean and sanitary for eaters and non-eaters alike.
What Is At 
Stake?
The Food Experience
Diners crave a certain food experience and vendors want to meet these expectations — to earn customer loyalty and develop their brand. Quality, taste, quantity, cultural experience, variety — or predictability.
The Service Experience
Diners want to choose what they eat and where they eat it. Most don’t have the time (or patience) to wait. Vendors want to meet — and exceed — both real and anticipated customer needs. Convenience, speed, efficiency, customer loyalty, differentiation.
The Disposal Experience
At the end of the meal diners choose to save their remaining food or packaging or dispose of it — as trash, compost or recycling. Ease, convenience, access, cleanliness/hygiene.
The Experience of the City/Environment
Everyone wants to enjoy a safe, clean and culturally diverse city. Clean, accessible, hygienic, safe.
The Economic Experience
No one wants to over-pay. Vendors deserve to make a living.
Ideas for Changing the State of To-Go Food Packaging Waste
Within this system what can we do solve the problem but still make sure that everyone gets what he/she want and enjoys the on-the-go lunchtime dining experience?
Make brown bagging your lunch fun with bright, reusable lunch bags (Image Credit: Apartment Therapy)
Brown-Bag It
While I personally am a bring-your-own supporter, what about the days when you just don’t have the time? Sad to say, there is a hint of deprivation: the lonely brown-bagger eating his lunch at his desk while his coworkers embark on the culinary journey of the city. How far can we expect this take us? Can a waste-watcher never eat out?
Recyclable Lunch Packaging
I’ll be the first to call out that recyclable to-go food packaging is still waste—but it’s great news that NYC now collects all plastics (sans Styrofoam), in addition to cardboard and paper. In addition to the issue of access to recycling containers, there’s also the reality that commercial restaurants do not receive DSNY collection — and they may not recycle at all. Plus there’s the reality that food residue that can contaminate material and also attract rats, bugs and odors — especially since recyclables are typically not collected in bags and are picked up less frequently than garbage.
A Styrofoam Ban?
Other cities have banned sytrofoam it, and it’s on the table in NYC — but there are mountains of issues (and here) standing in the way. What will it take?
Compostable Packaging
Of course compostable packaging would be great if accompanied by adequate compost/organics collection bins. And if these materials, especially compostable plastics, aren’t composted they may do more harm than good. What can we do to improve the viability of this solution?
Rentable Containers
Diners pay a fee to “borrow” reusable ware and bring it back when they’re done. Do you think New Yorkers (and others, too, of course) would buy into this?
“Green” Restaurants
Organizations like the Green Restaurant Association as well as NYC-based initiatives support restaurant efforts to “go green”. Is it enough?
What Do You Think of Takeout Food Packaging?
How do you navigate the world of take-away dining — or assuage your take-away guilt? Is it possible for a waste hater to eat lunch on the run?
Related Posts via Categories
I bring my own container and almost every take-out place will go ahead and use that instead of their own disposables if I ask.
Here’s one idea that is already operating in Vancouver: http://thetiffinproject.com/
Michael, nice to see you up here. Thanks for sharing about the Tiffin Project. Very nice concept! I just posted it on our WeHateToWaste Facebook page.
Love the fact that you use a reusable container. I suspect that many wastehaters don’t think they would be accepted at restaurants because of food safety guides. So good to know this is a possibility. Then, of course, there’s always the opportunity to simply slip a ziploc bag out of your purse or pocket on the sly 🙂
Best,
‘Junky” Jacquie O
Per my own previous posts, this subject is near and dear to my heart (www.wehatetowaste.com/doggie-bags/). A DIY kit of Ziploc baggies, brown paper bag, and perhaps a small Tupperware-type container are good to bring along when dining out. (I confess I don’t always remember.) I do feel guilty about the excess packaging of to-go food, including the sturdy brown paper bag whose only job is to hold six bagels for the length of time needed to drive them home from the deli. What a waste! If I can’t find another use for it, I carefully flatten it out, thank it for its service, and place it in the recycling bin. I have better luck with the plastic containers used for Chinese takeout, which come in various sizes and shapes. Some land in the recycling bin, but others can be cleaned carefully and re-used as storage containers for everything from food to office supplies.
I know. Let’s start a national Bring Your movement. We’re already bringing our own bag, bringing our own coffee mugs, bringing our own water bottle, so why NOT bring our own doggie bags and take out food container? Maybe the containers we use for lunch could be superior to the oyster packages and the Chinese soup containers that practically melt under the heat of the Hot n Sour soup. And oh yes, there’s bring your own bottle and the People Towel ladies (http://www.wehatetowaste.com/Japanese-style are trying to start a Bring your own Towel movement.
I say let’s get moving on the BYOTo-Go pack!
You may also be interested in http://takeoutwithout.org/ which is a campaign sort of like that.
Have just returned from climbing a very beautiful Mt.Rinjani (3763 meter above sea level). It is horrifying to see so much food water packaging litter the tracks from the eastern slopes, right to the crater and Lake. Even the summit barren section not spared. This is a mountain in Lombok island next to Bali which due to her beauty become a victim of lack of awareness from all stakes holders. Similar to problems in big urban places everywhere. The most horrible sights were seeing the wild monkeys eating these plastic bags.
Teddy,
Nice to see you up here! This is ‘Junky’ Jacquie, the moderator and chief Wastehater around here. Thanks for your comment.
I thought, in case you haven’t seen it yet, you’d be interested in this post”: http://www.wehatetowaste.com/finally-a-viable-alternative-to-bottled-water/ I think you’ll be inspired by Miranda’s own commitment to keeping the great outdoors pristine!
Enjoy WeHateToWaste! (I hope you’re subscribe if you haven’t already, so you can keep these posts coming.)
Best,
“Junky” Jacquie
Hi everyone! I just learned about a NYC company with a great idea to reduce food packaging waste. I saw a co-worker with a bright green reusable salad bowl from “Just Salad” and he told me about the awesome perk of the program: the bowl only cost $1 and every time he uses it, he gets 2 toppings free! Read more here: http://justsalad.com/culture/reusable-bowls/
Does anyone else have one? Do you know of other restaurants that offer this?
Our family has started to use what we call a “to go” bag containing repurposed, clean Chinese food container, plastic or metal utensils, cups, and linen napkins. Many establishments will put a bagel or other sandwich in the containers without packaging, and the containers can also be used at a restaurant to take leftover food home after dining in. We also use the cups and spoons at our local self-serve frozen yogurt place instead of disposable cups and spoons.
Nice to see you up here, Chris. Welcome! I do a little of this, too. I keep a few washed out Starbucks cups for taking some coffee or tea on the run. Am now starting to use some of those black rigid plastic containers for leftovers. And as I’ve said previously on this site (http://www.wehatetowaste.com/duck-sauce/) I try to use up my duck sauce, soy sauce and ketchup packets. I am afraid to think how many of these same things wind up in landfills. Is anybody counting? Does anyone know what the numbers are?
This is an excellent post, describing a problem so many of us experience every day, with much guilt. I love the idea of rent-able containers — could the restaurants, and smaller cafes and delis handle the washing and sanitizing of these items, if need be?
Also, is the Green Restaurant Association proactive in this arena….meaning, do they visit the city’s restaurants, cafes, delis, etc and suggest alternate packaging which already has their green seal of approval? Thanks so much! Debra
There’s a business opportunity in the waiting. Chinese restaurant that gives a discount if you bring in re-usable, clean take out container set of your own when placing order in person.
Second level: neighborhood vendor of re-usable take-out containers includes a washing service that sends the clean one’s back to the restaurant of one’s choice to be re-filled for ‘preferred customers’. Restaurant only stocks 10% more of the clean empties than the number of preferred customers, etc.
Nice ideas, John. I see Meredith, the post’s author mentioned one such program above, where the company gives you free salad when you buy their reusable bowl. http://justsalad.com/culture/reusable-bowls/
And Starbucks is trying this, too, with refillable, washable coffee cups.
http://www.wehatetowaste.com/starbucks-cup/
Just in time, as backlash over wasteful to-go packaging is brewing! Here’s an org dedicated to the task: http://takeoutwithout.org/
This is awesome! great post!
I really like the idea of bringing your own take-out containers out to eat; I try to avoid using disposable water bottles or plastic bags, so why couldn’t I cut out take away containers from my consumption? I think that if this movement benefited from marketing support (much like supermarkets have signs reminding you to bring your own bags) and incentives for shoppers its could really take off. In the meantime though recyclable and reusable containers seem like a good intermediate step in cutting down on waste.
I recently got into a heated argument with my best friend at the end of an enjoyable meal at a local restaurant. I tried to talk her into having her leftovers wrapped in something other than Styrofoam as I knew that was inevitably what they would bring out for a doggy bag option. I took my bread and salad remainders home in a cardboard pizza box that I could compost. But my friend insisted on Styrofoam because the alternatives I suggested (foil or paper) was strange for noodles, even though we could have put her wrapped bundle inside of my food box. Needless to say, we made the waitress extremely uncomfortable as we argued back and forth. I realized I was a hypocrite as I recently preached to my mom that she consumes too many Styrofoam clam shell containers from restaurants. She has this ‘thing’ where she cuts them in half and puts them in the trash. I suggested that she always carry her own to-go containers when she and my dad eat a meal out instead. And here I was unprepared myself. I could have avoided a pubic argument with my best friend if I had simply whisked her noodles into an empty container stored in my bag, always at the ready.
Jenny -My takeaway (no pun intended) from your experience is that we have to be somewhat flexible when it comes to green behavior, especially if we want others to follow our example. Though I firmly believe that individuals’ actions matter and add up to have an impact, I think it’s important to (1) forgive ourselves for occasional slipups (lest we be overpowered by guilt); and (2) not be so rigid and confrontational that we risk alienating the very people we want to influence, in this case your mom, your friend and the waitress. Though I understand your motivation and your passion, I fear that nagging just feeds the stereotype of sustainability advocates as humorless control freaks. Better to use the teachable moment to make the case for a green solution (e.g., quick comparison of Styrofoam vs. recyclable foil vs. bringing your own reusable container), and then let it go. Life is a series of trade-offs, and in the whole scheme of things, one Styrofoam container is not worth damaging a friendship or mother/daughter relationship, or embarrassing a waitress (who might have found the topic interesting if presented in a friendly way and started a conversation with her boss about greener packaging…). Next time, maybe you’ll remember to bring the Tupperware (and one for your friend). And perhaps you should buy a cute container for your mom, and she’ll have fun using it, and show it to her friends, and tell them about WHTW, and so on….
I moved to NYC from Austin, where recycling was often embraced. I started to have mini heart attacks after ordering food and I often find myself reusing all of the bags I collect and containers. As a youngin’ moving up to the big city I didn’t have much. The containers from restaurants have become my tupperware and I participate in a food co-op where I buy things in bulk and often need containers. I usually just bring my bags and containers to the store for others to use. Unfortunately that’s not how everyone lives. I also find myself guiltily throwing out things like styrofoam, aluminum foil and plastic wrap. I recently found a tip online about using a ball of foil as a dish scrubber (like steel wool) and I plan to try that out. Hopefully we can begin to find uses for the other items that come in our bags. I also ask for no utensils or napkins, or condiments unless they are needed.
Pingback: New Years Resolution, Two Months In | woodandgrass
OK, this reusable to-go container at restaurants idea is something I’ve been looking into and wanting to solve for a long time, maybe 10 or more years. The big obstacle is: health codes prohibit restaurants from placing food in containers brought in by customers, due to fear of cross-contamination–if their serving spoon touched your container and you have some infectious disease and didn’t wash it properly, it could spread to all their customers. The bottom line is: reusable containers MUST be washed by Health-Department approved equipment within restaurants in order to be used by restaurants. (I have no idea how the salad people are able to do what they are doing right now–must be under the radar at the moment.) So the only way this could really work is if there was a container that was suitable for use at multiple participating restaurants and customers would “buy” them but be required to return them back to those restaurants for proper washing/sanitizing. Said restaurants would provide back a clean container to customers that had turned theirs in, so they could use it for that visit. My vision is to sell sets of 3 containers equipped with RFID tags, so that you could have one at home in the fridge with leftovers, one under the seat of your car, rinsed and ready to turn in at your next visit, and one “credit” for having turned in your third one somewhere. Containers would be tracked by the RFID chip; you’d have like a mini-card on your keychain that would know how many containers you owned and how many were “in” and “out” at any given time. I really like the Black-Blum containers as something that would work for multiple restaurants: http://www.black-blum.com/products/box-appetit/ I like the idea of pursuing this with the National Restaurant Association, and have met their green guy Jeff Clark at a US Zero Waste Business Council workshop last year, so maybe I can pursue this with him. My only wish is that I had more time to tackle entrepreneurial projects like this, outside of my regular FT job. Now that I’ve shared it, somebody will probably beat me to it…
Like I said, someone will beat me to it–of course it’s San Francisco: http://www.fastcoexist.com/3037143/fund-this/a-reusable-takeout-container-to-replace-the-hundreds-you-toss-away
Theirs is a membership fee-based program ($29/year) vs. my concept of people “owning” a specific number of containers/sets of containers. I’m not crazy about the container they chose, as I prefer a sturdier plastic and the nice seal that the Black-Blum container provides.
Another type of food packaging waste which I think can easily be rectified is when we order food and they provide us utensils, ketchup etc..that is really wasteful
in fact, I am going to send an email to seamless.com right now. let’s hope for the best
The Deli and Chinese take-out that we patronize frequently know that we don’t want utensils, napkins or condiment packets, and leave them out of the bag. Others will ask (“Do you need…”) and give you the option to decline. But a third set just drop them in before you can stop them. I read about this “Eco to Go” project on Mother Nature Network. http://www.ecoagents.org/eco_to_go.html
Does anyone know if EcoAgents are still “in business”? Maybe someone could revive the campaign to establish such a practice, which is further illustrated in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACY4XYpcutQ
FYI, here’s the original MNN article: http://www.mnn.com/your-home/at-home/stories/5-single-serve-items-to-purge-from-your-life
I completely agree with this article. People are disconnected from the tools they use to eat their food. Whether we are discussing plates, napkins, containers, or utensils, people throw them away without a blink of an eye. People don’t realize that the plastic fork (that they may or may not have even used) will sit in a landfill longer than ten years.
This is one issue that if conquered could change waste entirely. There needs to be an option from restaurants to not include the utensils and extra packaging, whether that means buying into recyclable packaging or offering discounts for customer bringing in their own containers. More people need to bring their own lunch (it’s probably healthier!) and at least bring their own utensils.
Great article! Ordering take out definitely creates a disturbing and effective visual illustration of our excessive use of disposable plastic. Personally, I find stainless steel containers the best for replacing plastic ones – they are sturdy, elegant and do the job brilliantly! This is the set I like most http://ecolunchboxes.com/products/eco-adventure-kit.
Does anyone know the specific section of the NYC health code that prevents people bringing their own containers and whether or not there is a legal way round this? Has it been challenged? (perhaps Marialyce can answer these questions)
A final thought is what do people think of the idea of ‘boxed’ water (http://www.boxedwaterisbetter.com/) instead of plastic bottled water?
I am a product design student at Parsons in NYC and currently working on a responsible design project, and I have chosen to research packaging for to-go meals. I have always been very concerned with the amount of waste we produce when getting lunch on the go and find it the hardest one to find a BYO substitution for. I am trying to develop a product that could help the situation. All the things I had listed as potential issues are here confirmed again. It is a tricky one. My latest thoughts are making some kind of disposable (and if possible biodegradable) set of “liners” for a BYO container. You give the restaurant a liner that is new and unused and they place the food there and hand it to you. Now you can place it in a more rigid container to eat from, keep sealed etc. I could imagine for instance a stack of dried banana leafs, rice papers or something light weight like that. Or maybe just recycled paper. This “liner” would waste a lot less material while giving you the same usability as a normal take out container when placed in your own reusable container. Once your meal is eaten you can throw out the liner with the meal scraps and have a clean container ready for your next purchase. What do people in here think of an idea like that? Any other ideas like it? And what materials could you imagine a liner be made of?
I would appreciate any ideas or comments. Also, I really started writing this comment because of Georgia Sherwin’s question about “boxed water is better”. My class just visited a recycling plant in Brooklyn on friday and they had the boxed water there to show visitors that it is not a better alternative to the plastic bottle! It is made from Tetra Pak which is layers of paper and a thin layer of plastic and aluminium, what they call a hybrid: several materials that are impossible or hard to separate. To separate them you need special equipment which uses a lot of energy. Most recycling plants in America don’t have the equipment to do this, because metal/plastics/glass are processed in a different place than paper. Since Tetra Pak is 90% paper they are sent straight to the paper mill, which means that the plastic and metal is lost sometimes, other times the paper mill might try to get some value from it. Although with the low price of oil recyling industry is having a hard time already, so they probably will just landfill it – http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/13/business/energy-environment/skid-in-oil-prices-pulls-the-recycling-industry-down-with-it.html?_r=0
Bottomline it is not at all less wasteful than a recyclable plastic bottle. The people at this recycling plant laughed and said that life cycle assessment of a product is easily manipulated, but that it is unbelievable that they are allowed to print “boxed is better” on the box.
This is a great post that covers so many facets of the to-go food packaging waste issue. As a college student who also works off-campus, getting food on the go often crosses the line from convenience into necessity. An effective solution to the to-go food packaging waste issue would have to address all the areas that Meredith indicates: the food experience, the service experience, the disposal experience, the experience of the city/environment, and the economic experience. For far too many people, waste is only an issue until it hits the bottom of the garbage can — then it becomes someone else’s problem. Something that really resonated with me was Fredrica’s comment. In my personal experience, I have found it crucial to value and be appreciative of even small green improvements that others (and you yourself) make. This is not to say that we should settle for the minimum; we should always push ourselves to be more sustainable, but a large group’s taking small steps can have a larger impact than a radical few’s taking very large steps. To alienate those who are “not doing enough” or who do not consider the environment to be a high priority for whatever reason, be it lack of information, apathy, or otherwise, would be to do a disservice to the greater environmental cause. Setting an example and helping others to act similarly (for instance, as Fredrica suggests, by giving someone a cute reusable container) is far more effective than condemning people for their learned behaviors turned habits.