Day 16 - I Learnt Something About Our Food Packaging
After spending nearly 16 days on this anti-plastic campaign I have thoroughly understood one thing - plastic is bad. In the age where cheap is the key to everything no one is going to give your takeaway food in glass utensils but can they give it in bio-degradable packets.
After spending nearly 16 days on this anti-plastic campaign, I have thoroughly understood one thing - plastic is bad. Clearly, there is no debate there. I have shared numerous examples, innumerable instances and many facts with you guys as to how plastic is killing us - yes, the usage is more prevalent than ever.
Just the other day I was at a restaurant and we ordered a little too much. In a bid to not throw it away, we asked them to pack it and it came back wrapped in a plastic box. When I asked the waiter if there was any other way around, he politely said no and frankly, I saw that coming. In the age where cheap is the key to everything, no one is going to give your takeaway food in glass utensils, but can they give it in bio-degradable packets?
Popular quick service restaurant Nando¡¯s has begun using bio-degradable and compostable packaging items made from bagasse sugarcane board. These 100% recycled products which were easy to decompose and reduce everyone's carbon footprint are in fact a cheap alternative to plastic, only healthier.
For this, Nando¡¯s went to Detpak looking to move away from the standard flat board cartons and seeking to find an environmentally conscious solution for their packaging.
In this quest, I realized that Nando's isn't the only brand that does this. Anytime you bring your own mug or tumbler, Starbucks rewards you with a $0.10 cup discount. Filling up a 16+ ounce tumbler should cost you over $2, but the discount helps keep it under that.
These two aren't the only global brands to have shifted to better, healthier ways of operating. As you would notice, many local restaurants, especially the ones in the hills have switched to earthy cutlery. Many tea-vendors across India still serve tea in clay pots over plastic cups.
The idea is to not go above and beyond, but only to go back to the nice, eco-friendly practices that we once used.
Can you imagine how many people you alone can inspire if you bring your own cup or boxes for takeaway food?
