Is it the right word in english? tupperware!

I am collecting all the plastic tupperwares that end up at home somehow. Sometimes i ask for delivery, other times for dabao... i clean them and then i dont know what to do, so...

Is there any restaurant of coffe shop or (whatever) willing to accept all those plastics boxes so they can Reuse it?

I am affraid that if i go to any noodles restaruant or whatever and i give them they will just throw them away.

I am aware that reusing those tuppers is not the Best way to keep this world clean... but at least, if someone can reuse them again, it will delay the time that those plastics craps end up in the ocean.

I will personally take them to the Restaurant that wants to accept them.

I dont know if this has to be said but i am not selling anything... Just want someone to reuse something that can be reused!

Jon

Hi Jon.

The word "Tupperware" is a brand of high quality, American plastic storage containers. If I understand you properly, you have a collection of used disposable plastic food containers from food deliveries and shopping. The term that you want is "disposable plastic containers".

My guess is that restaurants won't want them. Even though you've cleaned them, they would be obliged by health codes to re-clean them. (If its anything like the U.S., it would be illegal for them to re-use disposable plastic containers.)

I have the same problem, but in my case all I need to do is to put the cleaned plastic containers in a separate bag and put them next to the garbage in my apartment complex. People here (especially the older folks) love to scavenge and recycle. The janitor lady also separates out the recyclables. (Recycling is a big business in China and even the common garbage bags are usually picked apart.)

Good luck!

I now the option of recycling... which i dont realy believe on it... plastickills.org/

And well if WE can reuse some stuff before getting into this unhelathy process (recyling)... this is the whole point of my post here.

I am slowlly changing my point of view... and i guess we have to collaborate against many things. LEGAL or ILLEGAL, but the harm we are doing to the planet is just too high.

So that's why i ask if any restaurant is willing to accept this...

Instead of saying good luck (i understand is good luck to me) i would say—》good luck to us!

or maybe 我在做梦。。。i am just trying

I think they've started putting 3 or 4 types of bins in most communities now. There's one for recyclables.

Or you could wash them, and the next time you plan to go out to eat, bring them in a small bag just in case there are any dabao and ask the fuwuyuan to put the food in those instead. At least that will slow down the accumulation of dabao containers.

However, is it safe to reuse those containers once they've been in contact with heat and water? Those things are quite thin and they probably use cheap plastic. Also, the cardboard take away bowls that are used in most mixian and lamian restaurants have a strong chemical smell. I try to avoid those as much as possible.

Yankee00 i have no clue whethere it is healthy to reuse those containers... but we drink from plastic water every day which who knows where have they been and what conditions.

Thanks for your proposal about taking my own container whenever i want to daobao. I do that many times :) but still...

I a resisting myself of throwing them into the "recycling" garbage. And i hope i find a way to solve this issue.

If anyone knows about any NGO that works on this matter...

Jon,

If it makes any difference to you, a large amount of the disposable plastics that are used now, are actually quite bio-degradable. I've noticed that the white "clam shell" take away containers they use in many of the restaurants are definitely like this. There are a few ways to tell:

- The plastic tends to be very thin (compared to those found in the West)

- It bend and flexes when new, but after you've had it a while, it starts to stiffen up and get brittle. (Eventually, it cracks.)

These plastics are starting to become very common. Lots of governments are beginning to require them. Also, many manufacturers like them because they are cheaper to make. (One feature is that they use a mixture of plastic and natural filler made from corn, wheat, or soy waste.)

The clear plastic bottles are a much desired item by recycling scavengers, who glean public garbage cans for them. I think if you simply crush them down, put them in a clear garbage bag, and lean them next to one of those triple recycling cans on the street, you can be fairly confident that they will be recycled. (You'll also be putting a bit of money into the pockets of the poor people who gather them.)

Shyam, thank you for the information. I didnt know about it.

Recycled? or down recycled (turn the "ok"quality plastic into a lower quality plastic)?

i must admit i don't know much about the recycle system in china but i do know what countries like mine do.

We give it to other countries(not gonna mention them, LOL) so they can recycle it... It ends up into a down reclycling system and finally into someone else's garden or at the ocean. Only a really small porcent gets fully recycled.

I am not blaming anyone or complaining about it...just the way we do it (Europeans)

I know that there is not much to do right now, there is lot's of money going on and as an individual little power to change some stuff. But my goal with this post is not so much about Recycling...it is about REUSING.

Reduce (individual choices)

Reuse (eeeeeeeeeeee sometimes it is reallly difficult to resuse some stuff)

Recycle

I am trying to find someone to collaborate in the second step (Reuse) with all the plastic containers that i have at home BEFORE going through the recycling process which will end up happening.

I dont know but.. If you ever have been into a chinese 烧烤 i guess you wouldnt mind to use the same plastic container that has been used and CLEANED by people collaborating into this.

I wonder if i am just dreaming on a cleaner world LOL but somehow kills me inside to see how easy plastic comes into my house and also goes...

One Last thing: maybe this sounds weird...but this time i am not thinking that much into the poor people getting some money. That should be institutional competence and not so much ours... but that's another topic.

Even if you don't re-cycle your garbage, someone else will. Usually before it has left the building compound, and if re-usable it probably is re-used. No need to dream :)

Hey Jon,

The situation internationally is that they always try to recycle clear polycarbonates and other types of clear packaging. (Ex. water bottles, blister packaging, etc.) So, drink bottles are a typical target for recyclers.

The treated packaging that I mentioned is intended usually for terminal usage. A friend of mine once explained this to me. (He works for a plastics company.) He said that food packaging is usually not worth recycling because it can take more water, chemicals, and energy than its worth. (The cleaner the plastic, the easier it is to recycle.)

There's only one challenge for your reuse scenario (which is a really nice thing for your to want, by the way). In order for something to be easily reusable, it needs to be constructed in a way that is cost-effective to reuse. Worldwide, the most common thing is the reuse of glass soft drink bottles. This is cost effective because they are designed to be easily cleaned, sterilized, filled and recapped on a large, industrial scale. (I've seen the process.) They are also made to withstand multiple usages. Most plastics aren't made this way and reuse isn't usually possible on a large scale.

You may want to reconsider your last statement, though. Regardless of your feelings for the poor and the institutions that serve them, this sort of financial incentive serves an important purpose. If a poor person can make a few pennies, a recycling entrepreneur can make a living. It also means that there will be a financial incentive for recycling. Back in the U.S., recycling hasn't really worked well because the cost of labor and energy is so high. In China, the cost of labor is so low, that the labor-intensive processes of gathering, hauling, sorting, cleaning, etc. can be done for a price that still makes it worthwhile for entrepreneurs to pursue. (There are now several recycling multi-millionaires in China.) So, consider the poor persons gleaning of the raw recyclables as the first step of a positive process.

In any case, best of luck to you!

this is a cool documentary.

www.rottentomatoes.com/m/plastic-planet/
Plastic Planet

We live in the age of plastic. It's cheap and practical, and it's everywhere - even in our blood. But is it a danger to us? The amount of plastic we have produced since it was invented would be enough to cover the entire globe six times over. But this inexpensive and convenient substance comes with a hefty price. Plastic stays in the ground and water system for up to 500 years.