The Art of Eating In - Cathy Erway [68]
Recycled aluminum cans have been demonstrated to be just as strong and durable as cans made from virgin materials, and they require one-twentieth of the energy to manufacture. The states with the highest deposit refunds, ranging from 2.5 to 10 cents a can, have the highest recycling rates. Michigan currently has the nation’s highest rate, recycling more than 95 percent of aluminum because each can’s redemption value is 10 cents.
In New York, the 5-cent refund has remained stagnant since the bottle bill that ensured a recycling redemption was first passed in 1983. Just imagine if a slice of pizza cost the same today as it did in 1983! Clearly, this incentive to recycle has not kept in line with inflation. Furthermore, New York doesn’t reward the return of the empty containers of noncarbonated beverages such as bottled water, sports drinks, teas, and juices, as states like California, Maine, and Hawaii do.
Finally, on to the disposable chopsticks: Nearly every Chinese restaurant in America (and around the globe) has them, and they all get thrown out after one use. China produces 45 billion pairs of chopsticks each year, which accounts for an annual loss of roughly 25 million trees and a deforestation crisis that in 2006 prompted the Chinese government to place a 5 percent tax on disposable chopsticks, in the hopes that businesses would begin using and reusing washable chopsticks instead. And yet, most still haven’t.
Suffice it to say, what began as a weigh-in of a takeout meal versus a home-cooked meal gave me a lot to weigh over. To be sure, I may have made the waste materials involved in wrapping a takeout meal sound frightening, destructive, and deadly. In truth, most of the exact same materials found in my batch of Chinese takeout garbage are found in grocery store and not-eating-out purchases, too. Many households purchase cans of soda, and microwaveable meals might come in PVC plastic trays. Eggs come in polystyrene foam containers sometimes, as well. And if you don’t bring a reusable tote to the grocery store, you’ll end up with a lot of double-bagged-plastic waste. These materials are all used in daily life for many purposes. But back to the argument about eating more whole foods rather than processed, or buying in bulk, or making more foods from scratch: The little differences in the amount of these materials that are wasted can really add up.
Many people have brought up the argument that eating at restaurants at least in theory is more efficient than cooking at home, conserving more resources and energy since restaurants cook larger quantities all at once. I’ve heard it complained more than a few times that people purchase groceries for one meal, and then end up with a lot of leftover ingredients that they don’t know what to do with and eventually throw out, too. It’s understandable, but the solution might just be to get more experienced at cooking and at grocery shopping. The argument has also been made that it takes more energy and resources if you’re cooking for a single household—or person—at a time than for a restaurant full of people. It’s also more cost-effective to purchase food in bulk, as restaurants do, which is part of why they make a profit from serving you.
These ideas are completely valid, and they might lead one to suggest that eating in sit-down restaurants only is the earth-friendly alternative to buying individually wrapped takeout from a restaurant. But I for one can’t afford to do this (nor is this the most realistic option for most people).
Now that I’ve probably made all takeout restaurants on the planet look like accomplices to pure evil, I’ll admit, I had plenty of cravings for all my old standby orders, especially throughout that first fall and chilly winter of not eating out. Sitting in front of the TV with takeout meals had been a rare indulgence for Ben and me when he lived at his old apartment (for some reason, we always sat on the floor with our takeout