Comments on: Wrap It Up…Not So Fast!

By: james

james — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 06:18:54 +0000

There are opinions in society, that fast food is not good for health. but if there has been no confirmation from the parties concerned, in my opinion it is just a mere rumor.

By: 11 Designs

11 Designs — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:37:24 +0000

Reusable mugs are not only environmentally friendly but also a source of inspiration for graphic artists, making it possible that these elements are a reflection of our personality and tastes. This is not possible with recyclable mugs. These have been some of the reasons that have led us to begin this initiative.

By: Dinesh Thiru

Dinesh Thiru — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 01:34:48 +0000

I’ve actually seen a lot of strides foward in just the last few months when it comes to restaurants and food service companies using more environmentally friendly packaging. A few of them include: 1) the now famous Sun Chips compostable bags, 2) Seattle’s new curbside composting program, 3) The GreenBox Pizza Box (a re-usable / recycled pizza box that’s gotten some great national attention), 4) Burgerville moving to compostable cups, 5) the TakeOutWithOut campaign… and that’s just mentioning a few.

I’ve also seen the push toward compostable food packaging really take off over the past few years in California… particularly as cities across the state start enacting Styrofoam bans.

Yes, we still have a ways to go, but it is re-assuring to see that progress is being made.

By: Sara E.

Sara E. — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:49:52 +0000

In the last few years, I have seen a great increase in the recycling that has occurred at stores as well as restaurants. More and more groceries sell reusable bags that when used give the shopper a discount on their purchase. This is a great way to cut back on waste and be more efficient with our consumption. It is great to see these efforts making a difference.

On the flip side, I worked for a coffee company in multiple locations and the amount of recyclables that were thrown away was incredible. When I inquired as to why we were discarding approximately 75 empty milk gallons a day, in addition to other plastics, I was told that paying for a recycling service was too expensive. Realizing that there are thousands of coffee shops that use this many and more gallons of milk a day, it amazes me how much material is thrown away around the country every day. I believe there should be a greater initiative to encourage local and chain restaurants to recycle the materials they do have to use.

By: Sylvia Y.

Sylvia Y. — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 03:52:05 +0000

It’s great government agencies such as the EPA are so avid in their pursuit of environmental protection. From a business perspective, the pressures for reduced packaging and the use of more biodegradable materials has saved companies millions of dollars every year. Most products have seen recognizable decreases in packaging in the past five years. There are definitely still many changes businesses can make to reduce their overall negative impact on the environment, but the movement has definitely started. I feel like now the consumer has the bigger responsibility in the waste reduction cycle. It’s so easy to sit back and point the finger at the manufacturer. If more initiatives were taken to get the average citizen to care and recycle, we could expedite the speed at which we saw change in wasteful operations procedures.

By: Zahra

Zahra — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:05:01 +0000

I believe that we need to take serious measures to ensure that fast food chains employ recycling at their best. Also since pizza is a popular food among many, recycling the boxes will make a big difference. We all individually need to take actions in not supporting restaurants that do not use recyclable materials. I personally refuse to eat or takeout food from restaurants that use Styrofoam. With that saying, I hope that many people realize that we are endangering the environment not only for ourselves but also for our future generations by not caring; therefore, we should start educating and learning about different ways to be as environmental friendly as we can.

By: Lina-EPA

Lina-EPA — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:10:13 +0000

I like your food for though–pun included. :-) ‘Having additional bins is a good idea provided the wrappings are recyclable. Hopefully new technology will make that easier. Saw an article recently on the debate over recycling pizza boxes. That’s another area that needs improvement.

By: Jamie Feldman

Jamie Feldman — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:39:54 +0000

I wonder how much more cost effective and environmentally friendly it would be to have more recycled packaging from fast food chains. I am sure there have been studies on this topic, but it seems strange that prevalent chains don’t participate in a program that uses recyclable packaging. I feel that this would be beneficial to the environment, as well as provide the fast food industries with a new marketing technique targeting the new “go green” attitude.

When a customer orders food from a drive thru, there are always those garbage cans placed strategically just after the person picks up their food from the window. Typically, my family collects waste from the car (usually old fast food packaging) and throws it into the trash. Perhaps there could be a few extra bins located in the same strategic place that would allow for customers to recycle their old packaging (that is now labeled properly and easily for them to know which bin to put it in); maybe there is something that these companies could do including color coding so that consumers have a better understanding of how to recycle their unwanted waste. This is just some food for thought, pun intended.

By: Linda

Linda — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:19:25 +0000

While I do eat lunch out of the office frequently (it’s nice to escape from the office for a while), my coworkers and I tend to patronize small establishments that use washable plates, tableware, and glasses. When we do visit places that use paper and bags, we try to pick those that do not over-wrap the food. Thanks for providing a link to make this even easier.

On the reusable bag front, I’m learning to take one of my bags with me into almost any store: hardware, grocery, pet supplies, books; you name it, the bags can handle it. I’ve even co-opted one as my “gym” bag–I love the wide open top and no fumbling with a zipper.

By: Brian Clampitt

Brian Clampitt — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:47:36 +0000

When I worked at a local movie rental store, we started a policy of handing movies to people rather than using bags (unless they have several movies). We ended up saving money and helping the environment. I was always impressed when customers would come in with old plastic bags to use.

Now there has been an increase in supermarkets selling reusable cloth bags for groceries. It is great to see more and more people pay attention to the ways they can reduce waste.

From a psychological perspective, less wrapping gives us a feeling of more personal interaction. Plastic bags in a way sterilize us, making us feel a complete split between what is ours (in the bag) and the outside world. Handing a specific DVD directly to a customer felt quite different than giving them a descriptionless bag.