How To Make Your Takeout Habit Sustainable
Illustration by Suzanna Stapler of Blushing Planet.
ONE YEAR after the onset of the pandemic, it’s clear we have one thing in common: we are using food delivery more than ever.
Restaurant takeout and delivery services are booming. Online food orders grew by more than 50% by the end of last year, according to MarketWatch.
And this means we have cumulatively contributed mounds and mounds to the plastic pollution problem. There are lots of reasons we should care about this and I will share some of those reasons below. But can we actually do something about the problem? The answer is a resounding yes. And it’s easier than you think.
When we are tired of cooking and don’t feel comfortable dining in restaurants, the best thing we can do is to pick up food from a nearby restaurant using our own containers. Sound strange? It’s quite easy. My family has been doing this for the past two years and we now have a roster of nearby restaurants—our favorite Chinese, Thai, Indian and Greek—that are happy to oblige.
Here’s what we do, for example, when we order from our favorite Chinese restaurant, City Lights of China. I place my order with Grace, who almost always answers the phone. Before we hang up, I let her know we will be bringing in our own containers. I try to remember to ask for no plastic cutlery or soy sauce packets. About five minutes after I drop off the containers, the order is packaged and ready.
The only sacrifice you make: you will need to avoid food delivery since you can’t control the containers in that case. And you will need to wait a few minutes while your food is packaged. Not a huge sacrifice considering all the plastic avoided.
The perils of plastic production are many. Here are a few:
- Most plastic never gets recycled
- Plastic production is growing and is a significant contributor to climate change
- The production of plastic is hazardous to those who live near the facilities that produce plastic, emitting formaldehyde, benzene and other known carcinogens
When you use your own containers for takeout, there’s an unexpected extra benefit: you model behavior that can change what others do. Trust me, when you pick up your food in your own containers, this act will be noticed by others around you. Almost every time we pick up food, another customer says something like: “I had no idea you could do that.” Try it, you’ll see.
And when actions get noticed, they signal a “new normal” to others that can elicit profound and positive behavioral changes just by virtue of the ripple effect this creates.
So, I am throwing down a challenge to you…let’s normalize this behavior of using your own containers for takeout. Throughout the month of April, I invite you to share your pictures and experience around takeout orders. On Instagram, please tag your pictures #letsnormalizethis and #zerowasteindc. Or feel free to email me your pictures or ideas at stephanie@zerowasteindc.com I’ll post the most interesting picture on May 15. I can’t wait to hear about your experience.
Note: Every month, I will be setting down a “Let’s Normalize This” challenge featuring artwork by Suzanna Stapler of Blushing Planet. Suzanna is an illustrator / science communicator with a passion for planets (Earth especially) and creative, sustainable living. We’re excited to team up and spread the word to cultivate sustainable practices.
