With the increased knowledge of eco friendly alternatives and the awareness of environmental issues such as global warming, people are transitioning towards a sustainable lifestyle faster than ever before.
Today, consumers are more concerned about the type of products they are using and the process used to make them, and strongly favor biodegradable packaging in place of traditional plastic. Even in restaurants, people prefer sustainable to go containers.
So many places offering food are now quickly switching to biodegradable packaging to attract more customers and become more eco-friendly in the process.
If you’re in the food industry and looking to find answers to your packaging needs, you’re in luck! This post will help you find the best biodegradable takeout containers for your business.
Here are the 2 different types of alternative packaging materials you can choose from to make your business more eco friendly.
Recyclable
Recyclable packaging is pretty much the minimum standard when it comes to sustainable to go containers. These are usually made from plastic that is recyclable (bear in mind, not all plastics are recyclable).
Although made from plastic, these containers can be used to form other types of products, even more containers! Just be sure you are buying the right type of plastic that can be recycled, which you can easily find by examining the code enclosed within arrows at the bottom of the container.
Compostable
Compostable containers are much more environmentally friendly as compared to their recyclable counterparts. They are also loved by customers since they can reuse the containers as fertilizer by composting in their backyard, a pretty cool eco friendly hack!
However, there is a catch when it comes to compostable containers; some containers can only be industrially composted, known as “commercially compostable”. Either way, having compostable packaging is a great way to attract more customers to your restaurant.
Now that we know what types of sustainable to go containers exist, it all comes down to your preference.
- If your restaurant is in an area where people don’t usually compost their trash, or the climate doesn’t allow it, then it’s best to use recyclable containers since they are going to get thrown away anyway.
- It’s also important to know that switching to sustainable packaging will seem expensive at first, so you should consider your local rates as well before choosing a supplier.
There are several types of recyclable and compostable containers available in the market and can be easily be bought online through websites such as Good Start Packaging and Let’s Go Green. Here are just a few of the many sustainable to go containers available today
Aluminum Containers
By far the most popular and least expensive recyclable container, aluminum is used as a sustainable container across restaurants worldwide. Thin, light, and malleable, this material can be molded into virtually any type of container you want! Being a metal, it is also widely accepted for recycling and can even be used for cooking purposes.
Paper boxes
If you’ve ever been to a Chinese restaurant, chances are you have seen these paper boxes before. Paper has been used as an inexpensive takeout container for years by many restaurants and is unsurprisingly cheap to manufacture.
As the paper is made from wood pulp, it can be easily composted at home. However, it does not have very good grease or liquid control, so if you’re working with food that involves a lot of gravy, you should probably look towards other alternatives.
Recyclable plastics
Plastic is still the most widely used container in existence, and the one causing the most pollution as well. However, what many don’t know that there are types of plastics that are recyclable.
There are a total of 7 different types of plastics, two of which used are recyclable. These are Polypropylene (Plastic number 5) and Polyethylene (Plastic number 1). Although some recycling plants do not accept Polypropylene, it still helps reduce some amount of plastic from landfills.
PLA
Made from corn resin, this sustainable to go container material is the most expensive in this list, but at the same time the most useful of the bunch. PLA can be used as a container itself or can be used as a lining for other containers to prevent liquid from leaking out such as in paper boxes.
PLA is a durable alternative to plastic and can be easily composted in any household. Despite its cost, PLA is gaining momentum as one of the more popular biodegradable packaging materials due to its versatility.