Zero-Waste Restaurant-Kit Ideas

Tags: Zero Waste

From fast food to fancy food, there's always an opportunity to go zero waste when eating out. 

I keep a two-person zero-waste restaurant-kit in my car to take into restaurants, coffee shops, and juice/smoothie shops in order to avoid disposable cups, cutlery, napkins, and to-go boxes. I usually take the whole kit in each time and then just use what I need for that particular restaurant. 

Putting together your own kit can be fun, but there are a few things to keep in mind in order to have a system that works. Here’s my kit and my tips for each piece. I also have tips for those that don’t use a car at the end of this post.

Cup

My favorite "cup" is the Klean Kanteen Insulated Wide water bottle with the leak-proof lid plus the Café Cap. This water bottle is easy to fill and will work for both hot and cold drinks. The Café Cap is great for one-handed drinking in the car and the leak proof lid is great when you have to put your cup in a bag. I also like that this cup is easy to clean – no bottle brushes or straw brushes required!

Utensils

My favorite utensil is the Snow Peak Titanium Spork. Using just a spork keeps my kit as minimal as possible, but feel free to use whatever cutlery you like best. If you want to just throw some forks, spoons, and butter knives from you silverware drawer, go ahead! Here are some other ideas for compact cutlery. 

Cloth Napkins

Not much to say here. Use whatever works for you. I found some napkins at an estate sale and have also bought some online.

Dirty Utensils and Napkin Storage

Once you’re done eating, you’ll want to put your dirty napkins and utensils somewhere until you get home to clean them. I use a reusable zipper bag, but you could use some other type of bag or container, or even just wrap them up in a napkin or dish towel.

To-Go Boxes

It’s important to get a leak-proof box. I like this U-Konserve container, because I can store all my clean sporks, napkins, and bag inside it if I want to. The U-Konserve also fits in my reusable zipper bag if needed. Another one I like and use is the To-Go Ware carrier.  It has two compartments, which is convenient for keeping foods separate.

Kit Storage Bag

You’ll want to keep all you items in a large reusable bag to keep them organized and portable. I have two tips for the storage bag. First, it makes it easier to use a bag with a flat bottom –then things will stay where they are and won’t roll around in your car as easily. Second, get a bag that is easy to clean. If you want, you can also use an insulated bag to keep your leftovers warm on the way home. 

If you don’t use a car to get around…

If you don’t use a car, I suggest getting everything above (for one person), expect the kit storage bag and To-Go Ware carrier. You can put your napkin, utensil, and dirty utensil bag in the U-Konserve when it’s clean. Then when you have leftovers for the U-Konserve, you can put the napkin and utensil in the dirty bag. These items can be kept in your messenger bag or backpack without taking up too much room. You can use the Klean Kanteen with the leak-proof lid as your water bottle and just empty it if you want to buy a fountain drink, coffee, tea, juice, or smoothie.

Some nice extras to have…

Depending on what you eat or your preferences, you can keep other things in your kit like reusable chopsticks or a reusable straw.

Dealing with some social aspects…

A good tip about going zero-waste in restaurants comes from Terry at My Life Without Plastic: Let your server know right away that you are dining waste-free. Let them know you do not want a plastic straw in your drink, because many servers put straws in drinks without asking first.

You can do it!

I know it may feel awkward to think about dining out like this. You may worry that people will stare at you for bringing your own napkins or something. In my experience that has not happened. The only thing that does happen consistently is that servers will comment on my to-go boxes, especially my To-Go Ware carrier, because they think they are so cool. This especially happens when I have servers that have connections to countries in Asia…they always tell me about how they have these same boxes (often called tiffin carriers) and tell me how they are used there. I love it!