‘You can’t put soup in a cardboard box’: Restaurants slam plastics ban

frankly - after the past two years - i find myself not caring much what the restaurant lobby industry, or their media mouthpieces, thinks; none of their outcomes ever results in better circumstances for staff or customers.

“You can’t put soup in a cardboard box. You can’t just put fries in people’s hands,” said an exasperated Olivier Bourbeau, vice president of national affairs for Restaurants Canada after a morning announcement by federal environment minister Steven Guilbeault.

First, when the hell are fries ever served in a plastic container? It's almost always paper or cardboard.

Second, maybe my ability to occasionally get takeout soup is less important than trying to minimize the impact on the environment? Certain foods travel better for delivery than others, maybe things like this will help push people to actually go to restaurants more rather than relying on delivery services (that frankly, I think are slowly killing a lot of restaurants without realizing it).

Complaining about a problem without proposing a solution is just whining, Josh Rubin business editor. Plastic pollution is a serious problem and we have to start somewhere.

if switching from plastic to paper container/​cutlery sinks your business, you deserve it.

Toronto has a reusable container program for take out restaurants.

https://www.mysuppli.ca/

Maybe more restaurants will finally adopt this program instead of the two I frequent.

The whole restaurant industry needs an overhaul. If they cannot survive because “plastic” then see ya later. No loss to society.

But you could use a compostable soup container.

This has been realized by many restaurants and grocery stores. I don't understand why giving up styrofoam is so difficult.

These idiots could have clearly seen this coming. It’s not a surprise. Just buy alternatives or adjust your menu and get on with it. If we can handle a simple change like this how the fuck are we ever going to do anything at all?

Why do headlines always include verbs like “slams” or “blasts”?

Man, McDonalds is already in compliance from what I can see (paper straws, wood cutlery, cardboard containers), all the other restaurants can do it too.

didn't the oil industry also complain about lead emission regulations?

Adapt or die.

What about produce bags? Or the plastic covering single cucumbers or other vegetables?

Those old enough to remember how a Mc D.L.T was served, will fondly recall the outrage when McDonalds (and others) switched to a simple paper wrapping for their burgers.

Decades later and its now unthinkable to see a styrofoam container.

Yet, there are no Mc D.L.T's either...

How does one keep the hot side 'hot', and the cool side 'cool'? Science has not delivered on this.

They'll survive. But they will pass the cost on to the consumer.

A meal that takes 15 minutes to eat does not justify creating waste that will last thousands of years. Literally dozens of generations of children down the line will still have to deal with your slurpee cup that you enjoyed for a few minutes.

I've got a buddy that lost his job because covid as a head chef of a high-end hotel. He started selling outstandingly delicious soups online and delivering them in mason jars. You pay a deposit (1.50$) and get it back the next time you order and return it. If you don't, you've got a mason jar to use for your own shit.

There's solutions out there.

As for cutlery, we can adapt to chopsticks.

Honestly Swiss Chalet, a major restaurant in Canada, switched to paper takeout products. They’re great. I order delivery from them all the time and I don’t notice a change in quality of how the food is transported.

It may be that plastic lined paper (honestly unsure) but it’s a step in the right direction.

I automatically ignore any article with the term ‘slam’ in the title.