Don't "Take Away" – Take the Time for a Sit-Down Lunch!

Stop forking around with disposable plastic packaging and utensils and sit down for a real meal with real forks and knives.

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Photo: Caterina Bernardi / Corbis

By Selene Aparicio

We live in a never-stopping whirlwind of a world. People are always in a rush and rarely take the time to sit down and relax, let alone go out for a lunch. One consequence: Unnecessary amounts of waste caused by disposable cutlery and plastic products that come with "take-away" and "to-go" meals.

The biggest problem with take-away food is the excessive packaging and the convenient but disposable plastic utensils. It's bad enough that more than 12% of our nation's waste is made up of plastic, but worse still that barely 7% of plastic is recycled. Many recycling programs won't even accept the Styrofoam containers and plastic cutlery that comes with take-away meals.

Particularly if you can't get in the money-saving habit of packing your own lunch (in reusable containers), treat yourself to the time away from your desk for a real lunch with friends or colleagues at a sit-down restaurant that reuses its forks and plates. It won't only improve your mood and avoid the waste of take-away meals, but could open up an opportunity to eat a little healthier, if you choose a menu with better offerings than are typical of a take-away joint.

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