Mindful consumption quest

[Chicken lady]

So, I wrote about the disposal issues in the zero waste thread in environment. Consumption choices are related, but not really the same issue.

in February I have used $20-$25 in gas every week. I actually should be tracking gallons, not cost, but I am working at preplanning/combining trips. I actually had a flashback to the 70's the other day when the ad campaign slogan "is this trip really neccessary?" Popped into my head. My dad quoted it for years afterwards when my mom wanted him to go somewhere.

since my last post I took my container to the farmer's market and filled it with mixed greens. I also accepted bread and premade salads (for my chickens) from the food bank that would otherwise have gone in the dumpster - resulting in some plastic to recycle and two small pieces of plastic film trash - but way better than all being trashed by someone else! I rescued a pretty artificial Christmas wreath from my neighbor's trash - I'll take that on my next thrift store drop, and I ate out last night and used a paper napkin.

It is possible that the paper napkin will be composted, but I don't know. The restaurant is focused on local, in season, and sustainable and has a greenhouse in which they grow a lot of their food and a compost system for pre-customer food waste. Dh did not finish his meat and they gave him a plastic take home container. I haven't checked to see if it is recyclable yet.

[iris lilies]

I was out to lunch with garden club people. Had a sandwich. Cut it in half, wrapped the other half in my used but
clean-ish paper napkin to take home.

---chicken lady, maybe you should not read this below!----trigger warning...

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Then I left the table to go to the bathroom. Came back to find that my lunch mates had asked the waitress to put my sandwich into a take home container which was styrofoam. Oy vey. "Oh, you dont need to wrap that on a napkin, they have containers here!"

Gosh, yes, they do.

This was a restaurant in a strip mall out in nowheresville suburbia. So I am a restaurant snob, I will not apologize for that and I do judge restaurants by their take out containers. Styrofoam is the worst. Just call me Judgey Judgerson.

[Tybee]

You know, I wonder why restaurants don't favor the cardboard container of the type you find in Chinese restaurant and goldfish purchasing? Those would have to be cheaper, and they would be biodegradable.
That would be a possible campaign, to ask them to carry those.

[iris lilies]

You know, I wonder why restaurants don't favor the cardboard container of the type you find in Chinese restaurant and goldfish purchasing? Those would have to be cheaper, and they would be biodegradable.
That would be a possible campaign, to ask them to carry those.

Higher end, more with-it foodie places in my city DO use cardboard containers. Hence my snarky comment about strip mall, suburbia, etc.

[Alan]

You know, I wonder why restaurants don't favor the cardboard container of the type you find in Chinese restaurant and goldfish purchasing? Those would have to be cheaper, and they would be biodegradable.

We looked at cardboard/paper vs Styrofoam as part of a corporate sustainability effort about 5 years ago. We found that in the entire cycle of production, distribution, use and disposal, Styrofoam was a much cheaper choice. The biodegradable argument was a wash when modern landfill techniques were taken into account. It seems that virtually nothing degrades in modern landfills.

Personally, I prefer paper over Styrofoam although I've come to realize it's just a preference with no basis in anything bigger.

[Chicken lady]

Iris lilies, I would have taken that as an opportunity to explain my approach to my friends. Of course, I don't have very many friends....

otoh, it might have an effect. I collect the compost from lunch on the days I work. One morning, one of the littlest kids very carefully opened a container from her lunch box, came over to me, and presented me with a banana peel, saying "I ate this for breakfast, but we do not compost at home, so I brought it to you." (My heart melted)

[iris lilies]

We looked at cardboard/paper vs Styrofoam as part of a corporate sustainability effort about 5 years ago. We found that in the entire cycle of production, distribution, use and disposal, Styrofoam was a much cheaper choice. The biodegradable argument was a wash when modern landfill techniques were taken into account. It seems that virtually nothing degrades in modern landfills.

Personally, I prefer paper over Styrofoam although I've come to realize it's just a preference with no basis in anything bigger.

The cardboard ones I am thinking of can be recycled, or rather they can be put into the recycling bin. Did yours go into recycled stuff?

Whether or not they are actually recycled is knowledge thats beyond my pay grade. They sometimes have grease stains, so that probably precludes them from re-manufactured. And some types have a waxy coating, so those probably arent recycleable.

Chcken Lady, I was out with people who are my betters, so to speak. i am a student judge, they are full fledged judges. i wasnt going to lecture them about anything since I need their goodwill to complete my credentials.

[Tybee]

IL, that is interesting, about the higher end restaurants.
Alan, that is also interesting, about your company looking into it. Like you, I prefer the cardboard, because I take it and throw it into one of our own compost bins, and we end up with soil at the end.

[Chicken lady]

Yeah, see, I still would have said "oh, thanks, I appreciate the thought, but I know they have containers. I'm trying to avoid styrofoam" (now to be followed by "does anybody want this clamshell? I don't have trash service.")

and the styrofoam would have been left on the table.

dh says I often make life harder for myself. It does help a lot if you enjoy being viewed as just a little bit insane.

[beckyliz]

Our recycling service doesn't want cardboard that has food on it (e.g., pizza boxes). I like the plastic containers that Olive Garden uses - I can wash them out and recycle them. I do like the idea of bringing our own containers. I'm sure it would mortify my teenager daughter, though!!