Greening Your To-Go Experience

Meals on the go can be one of the most difficult aspects of plastic reduction. Whether you are ordering food to-go from a restaurant, or packing a meal from home for a day out, there are many possibilities of encountering single-use plastic waste.

To-Go Food
When ordering to-go from a restaurant, call ahead and ask if it is possible they pack your food into your containers from home. If the restaurant cannot accommodate, request your food “for here,” and when the food arrives, pack it into reusable containers you bring from home. If this seems like a bit too much work, you could start small by simply requesting no plastic straws and no plastic utensils.

To-Go Cups
Coffee cups, soda cups, sweet tea cups can all be replaced with a reusable stainless steel or ceramic mug. Maybe even keep a few spares in your car for those days when you don’t think to grab a reusable cup on the way out of your house. In the summer if you find yourself often wanting use a straw to enjoy an iced beverage, stash reusable straws in your purse, car and backpack so you are not caught without one.

Meals from Home
When packing meals to-go from home, for yourself or your families, start by investing in a reusable lunch bag or box to hold everything in. Single-use plastic ziploc baggies can be replaced with either reusable plastic containers, or even better, eliminating plastic all together with metal containers, reusable snack baggies, or bees wax coated products.
Fast Food
Be conscientious of the impact fast food meals may have, not just in the production of the food itself, but of the wrappings that fast food often arrives in. It can be difficult to eliminate plastic waste from a fast food meal, so consider making a choice to have fast food in moderation, or finding alternatives  at restaurants that can be more accommodating.
Green To-Go
​In Durham, North Carolina, the “Green To-Go” Initiative services 28 restaurants and businesses with reusable to-go containers. The membership based service allows participants to essentially “check-out” a reusable container for takeout dining, and return the container to a collection point after use. This model could be replicated in your city! Find out more at durhamgreentogo.com.

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Sincerely,
​Julia Krebs-Moberg
AmeriCorps Waste Reduction Education Coordinator
Asheville GreenWorks