4 Things You Didn’t Know About Takeaway Food Packaging
Most of us enjoy takeaway food every now and then, but what do we do with the takeaway packaging once the food has been eaten?
It can become confusing when organising rubbish, trying to figure out what goes where in order for it to be recycled. A food container could be made out of PET plastic, but what exactly is that? You may be wondering if all cardboard boxes are compostable, or if there are any ways you can reuse polystyrene. This is why we have put together a list of ideas that will hopefully inspire you to reuse your takeaway food packaging in new and creative ways.
1. Takeaway coffee cup
Did you know that a lot of takeaway coffee cup lids are designed to also act as a coaster? Some takeaway coffee cup lids have several ridges or grooves on their surface so that when you take the lid off, your cup can sit snugly on top of it. The ridges or grooves should prevent your cup from moving around!
When you’ve finished your takeaway coffee, this doesn’t stop you from using your coffee cup coaster again. It’s an imaginative way to reuse all of those plastic lids while at the same time as protecting your furniture from coffee rings.
Albiz offers coffee cups and coffee cup lids that are ideal for takeaway businesses.
2. PET plastic containers
Some containers, such as our hinged square salad container, are made out of PET plastic. PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic is a strong, clear, and lightweight material. An advantage of PET plastic is that it is 100% recyclable, making it very environmentally friendly. Secondly, because PET plastic is a strong material, it makes it highly resistant against bacteria. This means that takeaway packaging made from PET plastic will give added protection to your food and drinks, making it ideal for when you’re eating on the go.
Since PET plastic containers are so durable, they can be reused as storage boxes. For example, use a PET plastic container to store your toiletries in your bathroom, or for storing tool accessories in your shed.
3. Compostable cardboard
Many takeaway foods come in cardboard boxes, such as pizzas, and as long as these boxes are broken down after use, they can be easily composted. In fact, all boxes can be composted although it might be worth considering the ink that is used on certain boxes as some of these can contain harmful metals. Thankfully, most takeaway boxes are less about the bright designs and more about the practicality and durability which means they, along with the paper bags that the food may arrive in, can be composted.
Composting is a great way to enrich soil. If you decide to have a compost pile at home, this can improve the quality of your soil by enabling it to gather and retain more nutrients and moisture.
Start your compost pile by shredding your used cardboard, add dead leaves on top of the pile, then sprinkle with water to moisten the heap.
Albiz offers fish and chips boxes which can be composted, making them an eco-friendly option for your takeaway business.
4. Polystyrene
Knowing what to do with your used polystyrene boxes can be difficult as it cannot be easily recycled. However, there’s a game-changing idea for those of you who are green fingered: use broken pieces of polystyrene to help with drainage in your plant pots!
Before adding the soil, place the polystyrene pieces at the bottom of the plant pot. This will help water to flow freely. We advise that you only use this method of drainage in decorative plants, not edible ones.
If you use our gold burger boxes in your takeaway business, then you may want to consider providing fun and helpful tips to your customers on how they can creatively reuse their packaging.
Now that you’ve learned a few facts about takeaway packaging and discovered some of the innovative ways you can reuse containers, lids, and cardboard boxes, we hope that this has inspired you to think of new ways to reuse items.
If you have any questions regarding our takeaway food packaging, then contact us, and we’d be happy to help.