Now that the Christmas excess has started to subside and the Hanukkah latkes are gone, the Kwanzaa candles have burned low and the Festivus Feats of Strength are but a memory, it’s time to get down to the serious business of proclaiming our New Year’s Resolutions for 2017.
I’m sure most of you take part in this tradition in some way or form. Some may boldly declare to eat better, work out and lose weight, or spend less and save more. Others—myself included—may just keep a notion in mind, something along the lines of, “Gee, it’s a whole new year. This might be a good time to___________ (organize the garage, paint that back bedroom, learn Mandarin, dust off the ol’ harmonica, or accordion, or bagpipes…you get the idea).
But this year, in addition to filling in that blank with something productive (at this point I’m thinking harmonica lessons, but we’ll have to see) I’d like to share a few ideas that might not only be good for you, but also good for the planet.
Over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing, in a Good-Natured way, some things you can do to either cut down on waste, save a few bucks or make your life just a little easier. What we’re going to strive for, though, is to make these suggestions in a way that is neither preachy nor political, judgmental or heavy handed. Think of them, if you will, as ideas you can sample. Like a slick wedge of pickled herring or a fruitcake the size and weight of a fireplace brick, you might give it one try and call it quits. Even that one small attempt will make the world a better place. And, who knows? If you like what you did, you just might find that the little idea becomes habit forming. In a good way.
This week’s suggestion comes out of an activity that occurs throughout the year, but seems to be slightly more prevalent during the holidays: Eating out.
Now, I don’t go out very often, and when I do I usually reaffirm my standing in the Clean Plate Club. But there are those occasions when a full meal is just too much. Then, more often than not, when the server asks if I’d like a box, he or she comes back to the table with a container made of polystyrene.
Yep, the stuff we (incorrectly) call Styrofoam. (Styrofoam, capital S, is a trademark of the Dow Chemical Co. and refers to a rigid foam product used in insulation and craft supplies.)
Also labeled as PS, this material actually has a lot going for it. It’s light, it’s sturdy, it’s cheap. Shoot, it even insulates, to a certain degree.
But polystyrene also has a major disadvantage. In our area, and most others too, it’s not easy to recycle.
Sure, PS boxes, bowls and cups all are stamped with a No. 6 inside the familiar triangular-shaped recycling symbol. You’d that emblem would serve as a stamp of approval—a virtual green light for throwing the container into a recycling bin.
The problem is that PS needs some special handling, and not all recycling streams are prepared to handle it. It’s light, so it blows away. PS takeout containers often still contain bits of food—the leftovers of the leftovers—which are regarded as contaminants. And PS cups usually have their lids and straws still attached; as they’re made from different types of plastic, even different types of PS, they too foul things up.
So into the trash the PS goes, a wasteful postscript to the meal or drink it once held. Even though it doesn’t weigh much, it takes up space. Just a few meals out can lead to a full trash bag; a few full trash bags mean a full trash can. And a full trash can means another trip out to the curb—and more money literally thrown away.
I hate that.
The good news, and where the resolution part comes in, is that we have options other than throwing our PS in the trash.
One, we’re fortunate to have a Dart Container Corp. facility in our area. Located in North Aurora, the site features drive-up bins where you can drop off PS food containers as well as PS packing material. (A few caveats: PS must be be clean and bagged in clear plastic; food containers and packing materials need to be bagged separately; and the facility cannot accept packing peanuts. More info at www.dartcontainer.com.)
Recycling is good, as the used PS can be made into other useful items, like picture frames and toys. But as is so often the case, recycling isn’t a perfect solution. For one thing, not everyone has the space, or patience, to allow their PS stash to build to the point where a trip to Dart is practical. For another, the PS still needs to be processed, then trucked, then processed some more before it can be used as a manufacturing material.
What you might want to try instead is forgoing the PS container completely.
Sound easy? Well, it can be, but that’s where the habit-forming needs to kick in. Just like when you trained yourself to take reusable bags to the grocery store (or have been meaning to), you can take your reusable mug to your favorite coffee place.
A little tougher, but still worth the effort, is working out a system to take a food storage container to a restaurant.
Collapsible bowls with lids are perfect for this sort of thing. They’re lightweight, attractive, and don’t take up much space.
The catch, tho, is that first part–remembering to bring the container along.
I’ll be honest, I’ve been trying to take this step for about three years. I keep a small container in the center console of my car that’s the perfect size for half a sandwich and some french fries. And you know when I think to use it? Whenever I reach for my phone charger, which resides in that same console. The little bowl and lid have never once seen the inside of a dining establishment.
So while I work on forming that habit, I’ve had to get creative. My napkin works great for that quarter of a burger my dog Joey would never forgive me for leaving behind. I’m also extremely grateful to the TriCities restaurants, like Stockholms in Geneva, that have indulged my request for a little aluminum foil. After I, or Joey, eat the tasty morsels inside, I add the foil to the clump I keep in top of the recycling toter. When the wad reaches the size of a 16-in. softball, into the bin it goes. (Fun fact: Used aluminum can be recycled into new aluminum over and over again. According to the Aluminum Association, almost 75% of the aluminum produced in the United States is still in use today.)
Turning down the offer of a PS container might not seem like a huge deal, but it’s still a step in the right direction, a path on the journey to waste reduction.
Next week: Options for recycling those ugly sweaters and ill-fitting pants, even the ones with stains and holes in them.
Pam Otto is the manager of nature programs and interpretive services at the Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, a facility of the St. Charles Park District. She can be reached at 630-513-4346 or potto@stcparks.org.