The Skinny >>

As we rush from one place to the next, we tend to leave a trail of waste in our wake.

To hold our daily pick-me-ups, Americans use an estimated 14.4 billion disposable paper coffee cups annually.

Many of these use mostly virgin paper. Plus, they’re often coated with a plastic-based resin for heat retention, which makes them unfit for recycling.

Speaking of drinks, bottling water in petroleum-laden plastic needlessly zaps natural resources, uses up energy and drains our wallets. An estimated nine of out every 10 plastic bottles end up as landfill refuse or litter. Don’t be fooled by the pretty packaging and clever advertising: federal standards are higher for tap water than for bottled.

And last, take-out disposables are big-time waste offenders. Styrofoam is the worst given not only the toxicity of its production, which releases over 50 chemical by-products, but also the difficulty of recycling it. Even disposables made from corn or other agricultural products require natural resources to produce and specific systems to compost.

Work It >>

Transport your food and drinks in eco-style by building a zero waste to-go kit. What you’ll need:

• Reusable hot beverage mug: This Earthlust thermos boasts more than just lovely design—it’s also produced under fair-trade working conditions.
• Reusable water bottle: Opt for stainless steel to avoid leaching. While options abound, we especially like these from EcoUsable. Wary of your local tap water? Use a filter.

• Reusable food containers: When packing your lunch, use long-lasting containers that won’t leach, like these stackable tins fromTo-Go Ware or a tidy lunch box from Planet Box.
• Utensils: Pick up spares at a thrift store or spring for a bamboo set from To-Go Ware.
• Cloth napkin: Repurpose a spare kitchen tea towel or purchase a hemp one from your local green store. The PeopleTowel is a great option too.
• Reusable bag or cooler: Try one of your new reusable totes or this plastic-free insulated cooler.

Earn Your Stripes >>

When ordering food to go, request that the restaurant package your food in your own takeaway container (the stackable tins above make this a snap).

Request a glass or mug when you’re ordering in at the coffee shop. Most (even the big chains) have the real deal available.

Keep a waste log: In photographic or written form, document your trash for a week. The results could shock you into big-time changes, as it did for the blogger behind Fake Plastic Fish.

Participate in a beach or river clean up: As Your Daily Thread co-founders discovered, a waterway cleanup serves as a visual reminder of why it’s important to waste less. Even a few minutes will do, as this Angeleno’s daily 15 minute beach clean up proves.

Ditch the disposables at your next gathering: Stock up on thrift store mismatches when hosting big groups; doing dishes is a small price to pay. If you must, opt for compostable disposables like these from World Centric. Make sure to collect them separately to deposit at your local commercial composter.

Related Content >>

• Your Food Resolution: No More Take Out
• A Waste Free Holiday Guide
• Ditch the Plastic Bottle, Save Money and Save Lives
• Back to School With Waste Free Lunches

Written by Angie Bradshaw

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