BERKELEY – College students and to-go boxes just seem to go together. In the stressful academic environment of university, especially at the University of California Berkeley, many of us nerve-wracked undergraduates hardly have the time to sit down for a proper meal and instead choose to order our sustenance of choice to-go and zoom off to our next class or study session. Despite the temporal convenience of takeout, to-go boxes carry far-reaching consequences for human health and the environment.
After all, the plastic present in the majority of take-out boxes carry harmful chemicals that can lead to less fertility, a lousier immune system, and sometimes even some neurological issues.
Just two years ago, upon entering one of many local eateries that Berkeley has to offer, I would typically place my order to-go whether or not I planned to sit down and eat. It was so simple; leftovers could quickly be packed up and stowed away for another meal. The next time I ate would be a continuation of refrigerated deliciousness of the previous meal AND I didn’t even have to do dishes. “No one loses,” thought I, a naïve underclassman.
So what’s so bad about takeout boxes?
Since not all to-go boxes are created equal, each is associated with different levels of harm.
Styrofoam is one of the more well-known examples of toxic to-go boxes. Typically used in disposable cups, plates, and – yes – takeout boxes, Styrofoam discharges harmful chemicals into food, particularly easily into hot food. Although banned in Berkeley, it’s still used in surrounding cities and ends up in Berkeley anyways through food delivery services.
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), health effects associated with Styrofoam include cancer, diminished learning abilities, and fertility issues. Reheating your favorite Pad Thai takeout in the microwave just releases more chemicals into your precious yums.
Alas, tis indeed those you love the most that hurt you the most.
If you thought, “Ah no problem, I can just wait until my food gets cold, bundle it up in Styrofoam, switch containers when I get home, and heat it up on my stovetop after recycling my takeout box like a responsible adult,” the intent is there, but Styrofoam doesn’t discriminate in its harmfulness. The material can neither be recycled nor is it able to politely break down into compost.
With that in mind, many restaurants have switched to the more aesthetic and ‘green’ looking cardboard takeout boxes. This looked like the answer to all our problems. Cardboard is recyclable after all and, besides, what possible harm can cardboard do my body?
As it turns out, appearances are deceiving. Although the cardboard (probably) doesn’t harm us, the coating used to make these boxes oil and waterproof actually contains harmful chemicals that leach into our food. The same coating typically used to make our white couches stain-proof and our waterproof socks waterproof also covers those cardboard takeout boxes.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), health effects associated with the coating range from higher cholesterol all the way to cancer. The chemicals are known to linger in the human body, and because we are exposed to it through multiple sources, it can eventually accumulate to a toxic level.
If you are currently screaming inside and wondering where you can dig a hole to hide in for 27098 days, firstly, consider Barrow, Alaska as a possibility although the ground may be too hard to actually dig in, and secondly, realize that solutions exist.
Restaurants that offer takeout should provide takeout boxes of fully compostable material, (considered ‘least’ harmful) and use foil as an alternative since it’s less affected by heat and consequently less likely to release harmful chemicals into the precious burrito bundle it wraps with much love.
For individual action, bring your own reusable food storage containers, like mason jars, beeswax food wrap sheets, and your glass Pyrex container you are terrified of dropping. It may be a hassle at first, but for your personal longevity, it’s worth it.
These harmful takeout boxes affect both the health and the environment. Tens of thousands of other college students in Berkeley – and millions of other college students around the world – who share a penchant for takeout food are all on the losing end of the takeout bargain. The effect of one person using harmful takeout boxes is negligible, but when that effect is multiplied by billions around the world, the health of the environment and the possibility of a bright future begins to fade.
SHUERETHING 