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?