Think before you snack. When you grab food at the convenience store or fast-food restaurant, you’ll probably get plastic packaging that goes right into the garbage. Food packaging and containers account for 31.14% of plastic pollution, according to the Plastic BAN (Better Alternatives Now) List, a combined research effort of 5 Gyres, Clean Production Action, Surfrider Foundation, and Upstream. But […]
Editor’s note: Reader Shawn Tandon has launched a petition to encourage Google to help consumers find environmentally responsible restaurants. We asked him to share a call to action with you. His petition is an example of the kind of actions that we’re designing for the Earth911 Circular Economy Community to help you influence companies to do better. Sustainability is an urgent global issue, […]
In the realm of upcycling, empty glass jars and bottles are definitely rock stars. Use jars to tote salads to work or as stylishly offbeat drinkware at a party. If your rolling pin is out of reach, pick up a glass bottle to flatten your dough. Even with no fuss, these glass containers are infinitely functional. They’re also well-suited for intriguing transformations, such […]
Earth911 is honoring the 52 years of Earth Day with 52 Actions for the Earth. Each week through Earth Day 2023, we will share an action you can take to invest in the Earth and make your own life more sustainable. Containers and packaging make up nearly a third of municipal solid waste, and a lot of that third comes from food packaging. […]
Caroline Vanderlip, CEO of Re:Dish, joins the conversation to discuss making cafeteria, institutional, and restaurant food service sustainable. Re:Dish provides reusable food service items, collecting, returning them to a dishwashing facility each day, and delivering a fresh supply to its customers, which include corporate and school cafeterias and hospitals. Re:Dish offers several #5 plastic (polypropylene) clamshell and round meal containers […]
Kevin Loria joins the conversation to talk about his recent Consumer Reports article about PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), in grocery and restaurant foods, “Dangerous PFAS Chemicals Are in Your Food Packaging.” The magazine found PFAS in the majority of 100 food packaging materials they tested, including off-the-shelf foods at grocers and Burger King, Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and other […]
Alex Garden, chairman and CEO of Camarillo, Calif.-based Zume, explains how companies can use waste pulp materials to replace plastic packaging for to-go foods and packaged goods. Molded fiber can be used instead of expanded polystyrene meat trays, to replace the plastic scoops included with baby formula, as coffee cup lids, and in six-pack holders, among many other forms of […]
Caroline Vanderlip, CEO of Re:Dish, joins the conversation to discuss making cafeteria, institutional and restaurant food service sustainable. Re:Dish provides reusable food service items, collecting, returning them to a dish washing facility each day, and delivering a fresh supply to its customers, which include corporate and school cafeterias and hospitals. Re:Dish containers offers several #5 plastic (polypropylene) clamshell and round […]
Alex Garden, chairman and CEO of Camarillo, Calif.-based Zume, explains how companies can use waste pulp materials to replace plastic packaging for to-go foods and packaged goods. Molded fiber can be used instead of expanded polystyrene meat trays, to replace the plastic scoops included with baby formula, as coffee cup lids, and in six-pack holders, among many other forms of […]
How do you decide where to order your take-out or delivery meal? Definitely, you want delicious food. And for some people, reducing waste is also an important consideration. These sustainability-focused folks factor in how the restaurant packages their meal. Does the restaurant package food in single-use plastic or Styrofoam? Do they automatically toss in excess extras, such as dressing packets, […]