Some thoughts and some links to the takeout container problem

The Cost and the Price

We are faced with choices every day and we are, or should be, concerned about the cost of the decisions we make, but often we confuse the cost with the price. The price of what we buy is the dollars we pay and that is the simple answer, but it is not the real answer. The true cost must include the consequences of what we buy. A piece of paper is the tree that was cut to make it and the landfill where it goes when we no longer need it. I would ask that you consider these when you take your meal home from the restaurant.

The Food

The food In an industrialized country such as the United States as much as 40% of the food produced is wasted.                              Leaving part of your meal in the restaurant is the beginning and the landfill is only a stop on the way to a planet covered with garbage. Don’t be the one to start, be the one to save. Take your meal home.

Polystyrene

So what should you take it home in? A Large number of restaurants use polystyrene containers. Part of the reason is that the price is less than for many other containers, but the cost to i=our planet is enormous                                        .    Polystyrene is particularly resistant to destruction and will be on our planet for years, maybe even centuries. Questions have been raised about their safety and a possible carcinogenic risk.                             These are not leak-proof either and are almost impossible to reuse. Almost anything is a better choice.

The Biodegradable Containers.

These paper containers seem better, and they are when compared to polystyrene, but are they really a good choice. To produce paper products requires a source of paper and to recycle paper requires special facilities not available everywhere. Both require energy. While they may be better, there are still problems.  If you wish to explore this topic you may find the site: How Green Is YourTakeout Container? 

        The Best Way To Recycle Is To Reuse