Food joints take lead in saying no to plastic

From food deliveries in glass utensils to offering drinks with bamboo straws, Bengaluru’s eateries are doing their bit

In an attempt to reduce the usage of plastic, BBMP is urging food delivery services to refrain from using them.

Restaurants and food apps are doing their bit to avoid plastic and lessen addition to the dumpsters.

At microbrewery Byg Brewsky Brewing Company, plastic straws have been replaced by bamboo straws. Plastic containers are also avoided.

Pravesh Pandey, director (operations) explains, “We reuse the bamboo straws for the beverages served at our outlets. For home deliveries, we use bagasse material for the packaging. Our forks and spoons are wooden and the parcel is carried in paper bags.”

Plastic water bottles are not used here. “We are encouraging our customers to refill the bottles they ask for.”

To avoid aerated drinks and pet bottles, the Hennur outlet recently installed a water fountain.

As an initiative to reduce plastic, a food app called ChefKart ask their customers to return the bowl in which food is delivered.

Namita Malik, director, Chefkart, says, “Our ‘return-your-bowl’ initiative is popular among our regular customers. When we take the bowls for delivery, we get at least two bowls in return. This cycle continues with each delivery.”

She adds that the bowls are sometimes sent back to the vendors to recycle.

“For bulk or party orders, we send our staff to collect utensils from their respective homes to deliver the food. We also give them the option of glass utensils provided by us. This will be collected from them later on.”

Food startup Purple Basil is on the ‘go-green’ path with its no-plastic initiatives.

Dhananjai Raja Kuttikad, founder and CEO, says, “We use bowls made out of areca nut and paper. It’s 100 per cent biodegradable and eco-friendly. We delivered beverages in glass bottles,” he says.

Regular customers, who have collected glass bottles over the period of their subscription, often hand over the bottles.

He adds, “We are also thinking of starting an exchange box system. Here, customers can give their own boxes for delivery. We already have a regular customer who has opted for this.”

Most food joints feel that food packaging is the biggest challenge.

Kanchan Achpal, chief marketing officer, Smoor Chocolate Lounge, says, “Our ice creams and sundaes are delivered in cardboard-paper containers. We only use wooden spoons and forks.”

Kanchan adds, “We are trying to find an effective packaging solution for other foods too, as the steam can affect paper packaging.”