It is pretty easy to be sustainable when you are out and about with your own “to go” basics – stainless steel water bottle, utensils and straw, reusable cloth shopping bags for items you gather on your errands, and a glass container for your leftovers whenever you eat out.
Sustainability becomes a bit more challenging due to health department regulations when you have requested a take-out order at your favorite eatery. Businesses are not permitted to place their food into your own container in order to avoid possible contamination in the event your container is not clean.
There is a way of getting around this rule with a two-step process of (1) having the restaurant place your order on their sanitized plate, and (2) you taking your order and placing it in your own container. The restaurant is protected because they provided the food to you in accordance with health department regulations. And if you already have your utensils and cloth napkin with you, you walk out with the satisfaction of knowing your meal is “zero waste.”
If you are someone who frequently orders take-out, you might ask if that option is available to you when you place your next order. If you plan to eat at home, you already have utensils and napkins available, so politely decline them if they are offered. If you intend to eat at work, be sure to bring utensils and a napkin from home to keep at your workplace. With just a little planning, you can avoid accumulating a weekly pile of to-go containers, utensils and napkins that will most likely end up in the landfill.
But wait! Aren’t compostable containers and utensils appearing with more frequency these days? Problem solved!
It sounds like a great idea, but as with many great ideas, there is more to the story than first appears. If you look closely at your compostable container, you will likely see very small writing that says “compostable in a commercial composting facility.” That means it is not compostable in your own home compost pile because home composting does not achieve sufficient heat to break down the “compostable” containers.
Whether you take your food home to eat or you enjoy your meal in the café dining area, your compostable container and utensils will likely end up in the landfill. None of the local sanitation companies offer a separate bin for containers that will compost in a commercial facility. In fact, there are fewer than 100 plants capable of processing certified compostable packaging in the United States. Most commercial composting facilities do not accept compostable dishware.
There is a common misconception that compostable products will decompose anywhere they end up, including the landfill. However, according to Elevate Packaging, a provider of compostable packaging and labels, “Composting is a stark contrast to the stagnant environment of a landfill. All of your leftovers, yard clippings, organic waste, and compostable packaging that end up in the trash will not turn into nutrient-rich soil in the landfill.”
Composting requires the correct combination of materials, oxygen, heat, and moisture. Landfills are designed to store waste in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment which prevents decomposition. Items that slowly break down over time in an oxygen-free environment release toxic greenhouse gases such as methane. The landfill should always be a last resort.
As Laura Collacott, in an article for the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, points out, “Any time a piece of packaging is used once – no matter how it is disposed of – it is single-use. Preventing waste in the first place should be top priority.”
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Interested in learning more about home composting? Check out this VPF blog.
Secrets of a Lifelong Composter
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