Day 13: Eat In & Take Out

Taking your meal to-go has some serious consequences.

Single-use bags, plastic bottles, food containers and food wrappers are the four most widespread items polluting the seas, making up almost half of the human-made waste.

And depressingly, plastic use tripled since the start of the pandemic and takeout waste is at least partly to blame.

At the current rate, online orders are projected to grow tenfold by 2030. UGH.

You can immediately limit your takeout waste by making small changes:

• Request no disposable napkins, plastic utensils, straws and unnecessary condiments
• Opt out of a plastic bag
• Reuse your to-go containers
• Support businesses making eco-friendly choices

But we don’t like to do things by halves, so here are things you can do to REALLY make a difference:

Use Deliver Zero)

Get your takeout without the trash with Deliver Zero, a reusable takeout container program!

Simply order directly through your favorite delivery app, like Toast or DoorDash, and make sure to add the “Use DeliverZero Reusable Containers” menu item to your cart!

Once you’re done eating, return the containers at one of the drop-off bins (you can drop them at Nude Foods) and Deliver Zero will sanitize and reuse them : )

That way, you can keep enjoying your favorite takeout, without the waste.

Here’s a list of restaurants they’re currently in on the front range. Please support them so they can keep growing!

Leaf

Foolish Craig’s

Rincon Argentino

Deun Deun Box

Pasta Press

Saucy Cluckers

Naked Lunch

Zeal Boulder

Just BE Kitchen

Shamane’s Bakery

 

Order In but Take Out:

However hard I explain that I don’t want single use packaging, something plastic always ends up in my order so instead I go to the restaurant, order food then when it comes I scrape into tupperware and head straight home to share it with my family. 

This obviously works best in more take out style restaurants rather than going somewhere super fancy!

Just Eat In:

Being British, takeout is less of a cultural norm to me. I find the food doesn’t taste as good, I find the ordering process stressful (when I’m hungry I don’t want to have to wait an hour to get the food!) and the packaging piece of it just kills me. Plus you have to clear up afterwards. Honestly, I think it’s easier, more delicious and less wasteful to just cook yourself OR just eat in.

Eating in gives you a real break. You get your food way quicker. Someone brings your food to you and clears it up after you. You get quality time with family or friends and when you get home, there’s no mess to clean up or ‘stuff’ to dispose of. Win-win-win!

Order Extra:

Finding the time to cook can be hard so another thing I do is order 2 meals at a restaurant, eat one and put the second into my own container for the next night. That way dinner is sorted and no waste was created. I especially love to do this when I venture to the vegan restaurants in Denver. My faves are Blue Sushi Sake Grill (best vegan sushi in the world!), Watercourse Foods and City o’ City. At City o’ City I order extra ‘Chicken’ and waffles to take home plus their BBQ ‘ribs’.

Food Trucks:

I love going to the Rayback Collective especially on vegan food truck night. There’s lots of food choice plus most trucks let me take my own tupperware and they’re happy to put it in there.

Challenge 13:

Sign up for Deliver Zero and order from a restaurant that uses them OR try the order in and take out method.