5 Tips for Plastic-Free Takeout During COVID-19
In the San Francisco Bay Area, to helps slow the spread of COVID-19, we’re almost a month into our shelter-in-place order. Now that we eat all of our meals at home, I’m sure you’ve seen an increase in the amount of trash you generate. To make things worse, trash-wise, restaurants are only open for take-out.
As I talked about in 5 Tips for Plastic-Free Dining, taking the time to eat at the restaurant is one of the best ways to avoid plastic waste. Now that we’re social distancing, this option is no longer available. But there are still ways to reduce your plastic waste when ordering takeout.
Here are my tips for plastic-free (or nearly plastic-free) takeout:
- Order meals without containers
- Support an Ocean Friendly Restaurant
- Skip the extras
- Ask for dry items in foil
- Bring your own bag
Order Meals Without Containers
The easiest way to get plastic-free takeout is to avoid takeout containers. Some easy ways to do this are to order foods that are wrapped in paper or foil, such as burgers, burritos, and sandwiches. Another option is to order a pizza which comes in a box that can be composted.
Support an Ocean Friendly Restaurant
The Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Restaurants (OFR) program certifies restaurants who make choices that protect our oceans. From choosing reusable plates, cups, and utensils to serving sustainable seafood, to be a certified Ocean Friendly Restaurants, business must meet strict criteria. OFR’s also cannot have Styrofoam or plastic bags.
By supporting an Ocean Friendly Restaurant you support a local business that cares about the health of our ocean.
Skip the Extras
When placing your order by phone or in-person, let the employee know you don’t want utensils, sauce packets and other extras. Since you’re eating at home, you don’t need the utensils and most likely, you have ketchup, soy sauce, and ranch at home. If you don’t, then add your most common condiments to your grocery list.
Ask For Dry Items in Foil
With the drop in business, many restaurants are operating as small grocery stores. If ordering Mexican food, why not ask for an extra ten tortillas wrapped in foil. This saves you from getting them in a plastic bag at the grocery store and they probably taste better!
Any bread type items would be a great add-on. Pita bread, naan, and rolls are a good addition to or base of a meal.
Bring Your Own Bag
Finally, when placing your order, ask if you can skip the plastic bag. If the restaurant allows it, ask them to leave the items on the counter and bag the items when you get there.
If the restaurant does not allow you to use your own bag and they give you a paper bag, use it as a compost liner. I keep my compost in the freezer and instead of using compostable plastic bags (which compost facilities hate), I used to use newspaper. The newspaper would always break down, so I started using paper bags which I would line with newspaper. Not a perfect solution since I’m still using one paper grocery bag a week, but it’s better than using plastic.
What do you think? Can you try some of these tips the next time you order takeout?
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