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Plastic To-Go Containers Are Bad, but Are the Alternatives Any Better? | Civil Eats
Compostable isn't Perfect
While compostable products are termed better than plastic, there are certain issues like toxic chemicals contaminating the food.
The sustainability of compostable products is in question as the environmental impact isn't entirely clear.
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Country Wide Bans On Plastic
- Many towns, states are countries are banning everything from plastic bags, plastic straws, checkout bags, and food plastic containers. A lot of food and beverage companies have made a switch to non-plastic items.
- Plastic that is single-use/disposable is being banned across the world, and many restaurants and cafes have compostable alternatives and are also adding a small charge to the customers' bill.
The Problem With The Alternatives
Compostable Tableware, bags and packaging isn't really a solution and is being unadvisedly chosen as the best alternative.
The environmental benefits of compostables are not what they are touted as, because an increase of compostables in the rivers from the waste streams could have unpredictable consequences, and will create more and more trash.
Recycling Plastic
Recyclable Plastic and the effort towards it isn't problem-free.
There are trash contamination issues with plastic and 79% of it isn't even recycled, but landfilled, or burned.
Compostable isn't Perfect
While compostable products are termed better than plastic, there are certain issues like toxic chemicals contaminating the food.
The sustainability of compostable products is in question as the environmental impact isn't entirely clear.
Back To Durable Reusable Refillable
Certain restaurants and cafes are starting to promote the old, long-forgotten culture of using durable, reusable, refillable containers, reducing the consumption-based 'disposable' usage everyone is now accustomed to.
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Think About Your Why
It’s important to nail down why you want to go plastic-free. Having a strong, defined sense of purpose will help you stay the course when things inevitably get tough and inconvenient.
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Understand What’s Possible
It’s a matter of reducing where you can and reusing the plastic you can’t avoid. Because absolute zero-waste is actually not possible.
You have to think of how exactly do you stop using it. So you first have to understand what’s truly feasible.
Start with Your Beverages
Perhaps the best place for people to start cutting out plastic is in your drinking habits:
- Carry along a travel mug for your coffee
- Invest in a reusable water bottle
- Buy a few metal or glass ones to carry in your bag.
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Brand name products
You don’t have to spend money on the big brand names.
Your local grocery or drug store might have a store brand or sell a generic version. In most cases, the ingredients are pretty muc...
Basic car maintenance
You do not need a professional mechanic to sort out many of the simpler car problems.
There are all sorts of easy and helpful instruction videos available to repair or maintain your car for cheap.
Shopping when you’re hungry
We are more susceptible to buying stuff we don’t need when we are hungry. The same goes for a leisurely grocery trip.
Make your shopping trip when you have other errands to do and a limited time to do them. You will be less likely to spend time exploring and picking up items that you did not originally plan to purchase.
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Single-Cup Brewing
It is more efficient to brew one cup at a time and you can choose from a great variety. However, it can be very costly. The excess packaging also causes environmental problems.
Microwave Popcorn
Popcorn is a great, healthy snack.
Instead of buying popcorn in microwave bags, one can also pop corn at home for much less than the bagged kind.
Bottled Water
Bottled water drinkers give 3 main reasons for their choice:
- Taste: Many claim their tap water tastes bad, but a simple pitcher filter can probably fix it.
- Safety: Bottled water is not necessarily safer than public water sources. A high-end filter can remove impurities from tap water.
- Convenience. A decent filter and a reusable bottle or stainless-steel flask can replace bottled water.
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