Why does it sometimes feel that you need a Physics degree to unwrap the packaging of some products? A lot of the time, I barely make it out of the store’s parking lot before I am tearing at the packaging as I try to gain access to the latest object of my desires. By the time I get home, the packaging is scattered on the floor of my car, requiring a large trash bag to contain the mess. Where am I going with this? I am talking about the large amount of packaging that is used to package items for sale. It can be a bit excessive sometimes considering it usually all ends up in the trash. I should mention that I am by no means an environmentalist or an example of living a “green” lifestyle. However, this issue should be a concern to everyone, the packaging usually comes from some of our most cherished resources like trees and petroleum and must go somewhere after the product is purchased (usually the trash and to landfills if it doesn’t end up as litter on the streets and in our beaches).
SO, what does this have to do with food? Well, food takeout containers are no different. Think of all those paper coffee cups and plastic and Styrofoam food containers that are used to transport takeout food. Santa Monica was recently awarded the 2010 Outstanding Waste Prevention Award from the California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA) for its ban on Non-Recyclable Plastic Disposable Food Service Containers. The ordinance was unanimously passed by the Santa Monica City Council on January 9, 2007 but did not take effect until the following year.
In effect, the ban prohibited the use of polystyrene (Styrofoam) and other non-recyclable plastics as containers for serving or transporting “ready-to-eat” food or beverages by “food providers” located within the City of Santa Monica. Surprisingly, this is seen as a groundbreaking move as Californians Against Waste reports that only about 5% of Californians live in an area that requires takeout food packaging to be recyclable. Oakland takes this type of ban one step further by adding a “Compostability Requirement” to its takeout food packaging laws, something that should become mandatory across our state and country. The Santa Monica law has motivated many environmentally conscious food providers to adopt go the extra step by utilizing compostable packaging. Things like cups made from corn, utensils and straws made from potato starch, and containers made from sugarcane fiber waste are becoming more and more prevalent in the city. This is a huge improvement that takes by products from other manufacturing processes to create these compostable containers. Having participated in Heal the Bay cleanups growing up, I have seen firsthand what the statistics show, the majority of trash in and around our beaches is primarily Styrofoam and plastic.
Of course the best way to eliminate this unneeded form of waste is to actually dine in at the restaurants. So enjoy the atmosphere of eating out among your other restaurant patrons while doing your part to cut down on the amount of trash going into our landfills and being spread as litter. At the very least, take note of those places that are environmentally conscious and going the extra step to use compostable products. Now excuse me while I go hug a tree! I kid, I kid…
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