zerowaste

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Discussing ways to reduce waste and build community!

Celebrate thrift as a virtue, talk about creative ways to make do, or show off how you reused something!

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Compostable dishes vs washing dishes (slrpnk.net)

submitted 6 days ago by RideAgainstTheLizard@slrpnk.net to c/zerowaste@slrpnk.net

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Many cafés and fast food places these days provide disposable dishes and cutlery when you're eating in. This used to infuriate me, but it seems to be improving slightly now as the trend has moved towards using compostable dishes instead of plastic ones.

However, it's still waste. It makes me wonder, what is more costly in the long run? Providing customers with compostable items or running hot dishwashers and using soap and water all day to reuse dishes?

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[–] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 3 points 5 days ago (2 children)

This thought has crossed my mind in the past so thank you for bringing it up as the comments are interesting. I have been getting into bread and there is thing about supposedly in the past they would eat food off of a slab of bread and then eat the bread and of course in modern times you have bread bowels. I have been eating off the bread on a recycled paper towel (made from recycled paper and don't have bleach and junk) that then gets composted. My theory is that is better than using a dish but only works for some meals.

[–] faythofdragons@slrpnk.net 2 points 5 days ago

Oooh, nerd time. The slabs of bread are called "trenchers". They also had 'coffins' of pastry that worked sorta like a bowl.

[–] RideAgainstTheLizard@slrpnk.net 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

And you get a delicious bread treat after your meal ;)

[–] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

yeah that was exactly the point. can use paper towels with a variety of other foods if they have bread or crust. sandwiches, pizza, etc. You can put a plate underneath for stability and not wash it but I think some people won't be able to handle that mentally.

[–] Pandemanium@lemm.ee 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Hmm, I'm not sure paper towels are compostable where I am. I've been trying to use as little as possible because I was told the volume of them builds up in the landfills. Is it really that wasteful to wash a plate?

[–] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 1 points 5 days ago

um. you compost them at home not throw them in the trash. that would make no sense.