Are you the owner of a food or restaurant company with an eco-conscious ethos? If so, you may consider Earth Day an important event and be looking for ways to prepare for it. You might already be thinking about the packaging you use to distribute takeout food.
Trying to find eco-friendly takeout containers or food products and looking for ways to prepare for Earth Day? In this guide, we’ll share the actions you can take and the best containers and products you might want to include when serving customers.
Why Earth Day Is Important
International Earth Day’s a key event, putting the focus on conservation, sustainability, the environment, and the climate crisis. Since it’s all about inspiring behavioral change and protecting our environment, it’s very important.
This Earth Day, April 22nd, 2025, eco-conscious business owners will recognize the harm done to the environment and take measures to protect the Earth. As an eco-conscious business owner, there are a few ways you can observe Earth Day and show how much you value the environment.
Tips for Observing Earth Day as a Restaurant or Eatery Owner
So what are some tips for observing Earth Day as a restaurant or eatery owner? It involves considering specific types of packaging and eliminating some materials that are unfriendly to the environment. Here’s an overview of a few ways you can prepare for Earth Day.
Eliminate Plastic
From plastic straws to plastic containers, many types of packaging that restaurant owners use can harm the environment. For instance, they pose a threat to the marine environment , as stated by the Environmental Protection Agency .
Yet by eliminating plastic in your takeaway containers, you can align your eco-friendly ethos with Earth Day principles and lessen the impact your packaging has on the environment. So your first step should be eliminating plastic from your food packaging.
Use Recycled Packaging
Sustainability in packaging is very important for the environment. Unsustainable packaging can deplete natural resources over time, while the production process can release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Your goal to prevent these issues should involve incorporating recycled materials into your food containers and packaging choices. You’ll need to avoid items like single-use plastic containers or disposable food containers, such as coffee cups, and replace them with sustainable packaging.
Pick Biodegradable Packaging
Some of the packaging options you select may produce pollution and waste after consumers dispose of them. This pollution can affect the environment, crop growth, the respiratory health of humans, animals, and more.
That’s why you might want to consider biodegradable takeaway containers. Such options can reduce waste and pollution and minimize the threats to the environment, human health, animal health, and crops.
4 Eco-Friendly Takeout Containers to Prepare for Earth Day as an Eatery
The great news is that takeaway food containers come in a variety of eco-friendly options that can help you prepare for Earth Day as an eatery owner. Here, we’ll look at four food takeaway containers you might want to include when serving customers.
Paper Food Baskets
Best for : Serving up hot and cold foods in an outdoor eatery or for to-go dishes.
Ideal for hot and cold foods, paper food baskets are versatile. They also align well with eco-conscious restaurant owners since many of these solutions are composting-approved.
The Boardwalk paper food baskets , for instance, are an excellent alternative packaging that you can use instead of ceramic plates. They’re Cedar Grove composting-approved and less harmful to the environment than plastic food baskets.
Paper Straws
Best for : To-go sodas and room-temperature beverages.
Sustainable packaging options include paper straws, which are the ideal alternative to plastic straws. Just by making a switch to paper options from plastic straws, you can minimize the environmental pollution plastic straws cause and save marine environments from micro plastics.
Options like the Boardwalk paper straws feature food safety paper and are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. They’re safe for consumers to use when sipping on takeaway drinks.
Paper Microwavable Food Containers
Best for : Takeout food that consumers need to reheat in a microwave.
Recycled takeaway boxes that take the form of sealable eco-containers also align with an eco-conscious restaurant ethos. These are types of sustainable packaging, with the best options being leak-resistant and minimizing condensation. The Bio-Plus Earth microwavable food container offers each of these features thanks to its locking closure and steam-venting tabs.
It features 100% recycled paper and is Green Product certified, meaning you can trade microwave-safe plastic containers with these eco-friendly paper ones. The result is that your restaurant or eatery will be supporting sustainable packaging as opposed to unsustainable plastics.
Fiber Takeout Container
Best for : Hot and cold takeout food
Fiber takeout containers are ideal for hot and cold foods. High-grade options are made from plant-based materials yet are durable and seal in food freshness. They can take the form of a clamshell with an interlocking tab.
Options like the Vegware molded fiber takeout containers , for instance, keep food fresh. They also feature recyclable materials that consumers can place in a commercial compost facility to avoid polluting the environment with this container. It’s an ideal choice when picking packaging and preparing for Earth Day this April.
Prepare for Earth Day with Packaging from BuyDirect
We know how important the environment is for eco-conscious businesses. That’s why, at BuyDirect, we stock a huge range of eco-friendly packaging for all sorts of eateries. If you want to prepare for Earth Day, start with your packaging and find the right options here.
Take a look at our well-known brands, like Boardwalk and Vegware . Check out the features of the packaging we carry and place your order at BuyDirect today!
FAQs
For more info on Earth Day and eco-friendly packaging, check our FAQs!
How to Tell if a Takeout Container is Compostable?
It’ll most likely feature a label that states it is compostable or will state that it is compostable on the e-commerce vendor's website. If you’re still not sure, consider whether the product is uncoated and paper-based. These types of food packaging are compostable, so you can place them in a compost heap without worrying about incompatibility.
What is Eco-Friendly Packaging for Restaurants?
This includes paper containers and paper bags, compostable cutlery and paper straws. It can also include a range of packaging solutions that replace plastic ones. Paper alternatives, for instance, will not harm the environment when consumers dispose of them. They won’t cause microplastics to enter the environment. This is why these alternatives are eco-friendly.
Can You Put Pizza Boxes in Compost?
If they’re soiled with food or stained, food boxes are not eligible to be recycled. So consumers can’t place this type of stained box into a recycling bin. But the good news is that your consumers will be able to place a pizza box into an organic container. This is because pizza boxes are compostable.