The Take-Out Dilemma
Take-out is one of the greatest achievements of industrialization thank to division of labour.
It’s fast, it’s convenient, it’s delicious. Heck, it’s pretty cheap too.
I can order a bento box from the Japanese restaurant just a few blocks away for just 6 to 10 bucks. I’ll get teriyaki beef (or chicken), California roll, tempura, salad, and miso soup. Good deal if you ask me.
One thing bothers me though: the heap of Styrofoam boxes I have to throw away. There’s a big box for teriyaki, roll, and tempura. A smaller box for salad. A bowl for miso soup, and a smaller one for tempura sauce, and a even smaller one for soy sauce (how considerate).
I keep wondering if there is a better way. I could just eat in the restaurant, but I like watching movies while eating. Plus I wouldn’t get the take-out discount (some are as high as 25%), and I’d have to pay 10% more for tips. So in a way I am financially rewarded for producing all these garbage. The volume of Styrofoam containers are many times of plastic bags, so how come we are only talking about phasing out plastic bags?
Let’s think about the alternatives. Asking people to bring their own plates for take-outs is not possible (or is it?), so how about changing to reusable plastic containers, like the Tupperware kind. Customers will pay a hefty deposit for each container they take away, and they can return them on next visit. I think this can actually increase customer loyalty and work to the advantage of restaurants. The containers, of course, should be made of highly recyclable materials and could be cleaned easily.
Has anyone done a life-cycle analysis on Styrofoam vs. reusable plastic container?
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perhaps just replace the styrofoam with take out paper box will be much better? though still a waste but at least u still can recycle it or turn it into energy.
Being “financially rewarded for producing all these garbage” is so true. We are rewarded for being un-green simply because it was “easier” to deal with. London has only recently launched a recycling campaign (http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=13655&channel=0) and I doubt it’ll work, it’s not something that happens overnight, it’s a habit that grows over a lifetime.
people only look at long term consequences when there’s no significant short term benefit/ consequences that they will deal with later. Like you said, it’s rewarding to you to take a bunch of Styrofoam boxes home. The consequences resulting from these boxes probably won’t hit us until we are too old to care if we die today or not. Now you get to SAVE money and eat good food, why not?
if we don’t care coz it won’t effect that much on us, then nothing will ever change. sometimes, for the right things, we do need to stand up and shout out. There is just one earch and one life in the end.
In the case of plastic bag vs. paper bag, paper actually uses more resources to produce. I suspect it’s the same case when it comes to containers.
It’s all about fixing the broken incentive structure. Regulation is a must. Or maybe a massive PR campaign as well? I’m really not counting on people’s conscience.