How to Make Takeaway Sustainable

The environmentally friendly way to order your favourite takeaway meals.

Ordering takeaway for many people is a way to relax, support local business and enjoy delicious food in the comfort of your own home without having to worry about the stress of preparing food and cleaning dishes. However, have you found concerns around the climate crisis and the impact of waste from takeaway outweigh its enjoyment? If this is the case for you, then we have found our top five tips to make ordering takeaway sustainable so you can get back to appreciating your favourite meals at home. 

Skip the utensils.

Whether you’re ordering takeaway directly from the store or via a delivery app, requesting to not be given utensils is one easy way to reduce waste. Popular apps like UberEats now offer the choice to add utensils or not, and you can always say you don’t want utensils in the order notes for other apps. Plus, you have the added benefit of getting to eat with real cutlery.

Invest in a keep-cup.

Investing in a keep-cup for your daily coffee or smoothie fix is another way to reduce your daily waste. Brands like Frank Green, KeepCup and Joco offer a range of cups  for any of your takeaway drink needs. Not only does this reduce waste but keep-cups are often better at insulating your beverages, which means no cold coffee! 

Bring your own containers.

Bringing your own containers to your favourite restaurant or café limits the amount of packaging that gets wasted. Next time you order takeaway, ask if you can bring a clean container to store it in. Websites like Trashless Takeaway list the cafes and restaurants near you that accept containers and have information on venues throughout Australia. Check Trashless Takeaway out here. 

Find restaurants and cafes that are zero waste.

Finding cafes and restaurants near you that are zero waste is an effortless way to enjoy your next takeaway meal. Initiatives like Returnr connect you with cafes that allows customers to borrow Returnr products for free. This adds no extra cost to your purchase and helps relieve the pressure of takeaway waste. Check out Returnr here.  

Reuse the packaging.

If you’ve tried everything you can think of to reduce your takeaway waste but are still left with plastic containers then don’t worry, you can reuse them. Cleaning out and using the containers again is a sustainable practice that makes a difference. You can use these to store leftover food or for a DIY project.

With so many great ways to make takeaway sustainable for the environment, we can’t forget about the local businesses. Rather than ordering your takeaway from an app, try and order directly from the business, this puts the profit directly in their pockets and helps keep their business alive. With so many ways to make ordering take-away sustainable, which practice are going to focus on implementing first?