Eco friendly doggy bags

Eating out can be difficult for the environmentally conscious consumer, but as we’ve mentioned in previous articles about dining out there are ways in which you can reduce your impact on the Earth. One of those ways is to reduce the amount of food you order, but sometimes there is just TOO MUCH food and we often opt to take home the leftovers in a doggy bag. These are usually polystyrene containers which aren’t good for the environment. How about next time you go out to eat you take your own doggy bag with you? Taking your own container reduces the need for restaurants to purchase those throwaway polystyrene containers and results in less landfill waste.

Plastic containers
Although not the optimum option for fear of BPA and plastics leeching into food but you use what you have right? Reusing a container, even a plastic container is better than putting new plastic into the system. Do you have a spare plastic container you could use for restaurant leftovers? Some are available with separate compartments just like the throwaway variety you often find in supermarkets or restaurants.

Metal Tiffins
If you haven’t seen these, there is a photo above. They come in various sizes or depths and stack beautifully. We were originally introduced to these by our Indian friends (metal tiffins are popular in most Asian cultures), and we promptly bought one and never looked back. Perfect for Indian leftovers but also for packed lunches! Obviously there is the drawback of not being able to microwave these directly, but we shouldn’t microwave food in plastic containers either. Besides these look so much better than plastic, and metal is better for the environment than plastics.

Crockery Containers
Whether glass, pot or china there are a few stonewear collections that could be used as doggy bags. They have the downside of being a little heavy, especially once food is added too. Another con is that they usually have plastic lids, or else a stoneware lid that isn’t airtight. The upside is that items can usually be microwaved directly in the container.

My personal advice, invest in a metal tiffin container. We’ve had ours about 3 years and couldn’t imagine life without it. Works great for packed lunches and restaurant take out, or pot luck leftovers! Our choice was 3 stackable dishes but choose one to suit your needs.

dalgal | My Bio & Articles