For most of 2020 COVID-19 has caused our favorite dining spots to close completely or start offering take-out, delivery & outdoor dining to their menus. Also, food delivery services like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and GrubHub have greatly increased in popularity as they offer delivery from a huge variety of restaurants. However, the downside to this (as if COVID-19 wasn’t bad enough) is the increase in packaging waste that is being generated. Just think to yourself about everything that arrives with every delivery or take-out order you purchase.
As Americans, we create an enormous amount of trash. The average American consumer produces just under five pounds of trash each day, while a family creates about 18 pounds. Multiplying those numbers by 365 days for the year, it all adds up to:
- 1,642 pounds per person.
- 6,570 pounds per family.
To put it bluntly, your food might be delivered to you within an hour, but the packaging it comes in could be around for hundreds of years!
This is where Cibo Meals’ sustainable Mason jar packaging comes in. Our glass jars, hard plastic lids, and green insulated bags are returnable and reusable after we fully sanitize them, and they are the perfect vessel for our tasty vegetarian meals. Mason jars also help keep your food fresher for longer than plastic or paper packaging, cutting down on food waste. We understand the desire for delivery of your favorite foods within 60 minutes, but think about how much effort, energy, and waste that desire is creating. If you order from Cibo Meals once a week, you can still be excited when your jars arrive and enjoy the meals for longer than typical take-out. And, you’re helping Mother Earth, what’s better?!?
Here’s a few suggestions to cut down on your food-related waste and help make a difference:
- When picking up or having food delivered, tell them NOT to give you utensils or napkins if you don’t need them.
- Ask the food vendors if they use compostable/recyclable packaging, and if not, ask them to start.
- Order from Cibo Meals for locally prepared, fresh-to-jar meals that are delivered safely to you in a reusable cooler bags ~ no plastic bags.
Have questions or want to start enjoying Eco-friendly meals? Learn more and sign up for our meal options at cibomeals.com/sign-up/.
Sources: https://www.dumpsters.com/blog/us-trash-production; https://lifehacker.com/how-to-reduce-your-food-delivery-and-takeout-waste-1841575332