Deep Dive into Plastic Free Takeaway

Using Reusables for Takeaway during COVID-19
– Clare Sullivan, Plastic Free Byron Project Coordinator

This is a cafe focussed guide to the safe introduction of reusable plates, bowls, containers, cups, mugs, and cutlery.

It covers  – the documented safety of using reusable items ( including a full bibliography and breakdown by State Health Department.) – and then How To Guides broken into: cups, mugs, and drink services; takeaway food containers and services; cutlery, bags, straws, and delivery service handling.

Using Compostable Takeaway Packaging during Covid-19
– Kelly Lindsay, Plastic Free Places Program Manager

This is a product focussed guide to the types of, and performance or usage specifics of, compostable food and drink service items and materials.

It gives sample examples of suitable materials, and links through to an online commercial source.

It also covers the cutlery and condiment packaging options, and a good summary of the types of coffee cup lids, and of the cups and straws. It concludes with home composting advice.

Reusable Networks – How do they work? 
– Amy Matheson, Plastic Free Places Research Coordinator

One suggestion (above) was to join a Reusable Items program – these are described in this article and links are given to representative companies.  The programs range from: Consumer cup “lending” systems, managed by phone app, across a discrete group of cafes; to Corporate sponsored staff kitchen drink and food management systems. 

These links and pages are only part of a larger push to remove single use plastics from the food and drink pathway. There are many organisations and groups working towards zero waste festivals and events. Many councils are supporting hyper-local initiatives, and self-managed High Street trader and cafe networks – if you can not find one, start one using these resources.