Take-Out Nightmare: Expensive, Fattening, and Earth Unfriendly

The restaurant industry, under pressure from some local governments and patrons to stop using clamshells as doggie bags, is looking to environmentally sensitive products. Companies are stepping up to sell restaurants what they need, producing biodegradable packaging made of corn, wheat, and other materials. Experts predict the market for Earth-friendly food packaging will grow about 20 percent a year, according to Food USA, an industry news source.

The rise in the cost of petroleum products is also driving the trend.

And as consumers, we can cut back on take-out waste by telling our favorite restaurants not to include extras like fortune cookies if we’re not going to eat them. We can also bring our own tote bags when we pick up the food, so we won’t end up with even more plastic bags. (Best to let the restaurant know when you place your order, so they don’t have your food bagged when you pick it up.)

But for the overall health of your body and your bank account, it’s clearly better to get dinner on the table the old-fashioned way, using the stove.

On the last night of my father-in-law’s visit, our take-out options were limited, because it was Easter Sunday and restaurants were closed. So, he cooked spaghetti with clam sauce. Mercifully, he even cleaned up the kitchen when he was finished. The meal generated no trash. None! A few cans went into the recycling bin, and a few food scraps went down the garbage disposal.

Upon witnessing this contrast, I vowed to do better. I went to the grocery store and stocked up on the pantry staples that make home cooking feasible. I bought biodegradable garbage bags for seven bucks, twice the cost of regular bags, but guilt won out over cheapness.

I bought a few packaged, prepared foods, because my work schedule will not let up until the end of the month. But I also bought the ingredients to make a huge batch of marinara. I see no Chinese or Thai food in our immediate future—only lots of whole-wheat pasta topped with homemade sauce.