Download the Jybe app and in addition to finding local sustainable restaurants offering renewable, biodegradable or recyclable packaging materials, you’ll also find a helpful solution to minimize excess plastic in your life. In fact, finding a away to reduce plastic was the original reason behind the app. Long work days left Co-Founder Alison Diamond with little time left for cooking at home. But, all of the extra plastic bags and utensils delivered to her door didn’t feel like a great option either. As a woman who worked with nonprofits at the time, Alison describes her takeout experience as a ‘bummer’. “All day we’re making a difference, but at home it has to go to waste.” So, in 2018 Alison partnered with other do-gooders and leaders in the restaurant industry to launch Jybe. “It’s a Yelp for sustainable to-go food,” she says.
Why Packaging Matters
One of the biggest materials that have come under fire in the war on plastics is polystyrene, which is more often known as Styrofoam. As tissues are to Kleenex, so is Styrofoam to polystyrene. It’s a brand name for a type of plastic. While it’s a popular material of choice for takeout containers, it has been banned in several states like New York, Washington, Oregon, Maine and California (just to name a few). Part of the problem is that it isn’t biodegradable and only breaks down over the course of 500 years where it releases toxic chemicals when exposed to sunlight. Another problem with this material is that it’s made from styrene a chemical listed as a possible carcinogen by the World Health Organization. So, you might wonder why restaurants and other companies still use it? “Styrofoam is super cheap, stacks perfectly and is lightweight,” Alison explains that budget and convenience often play a role.
Alison also highlights that some eco-friendly packaging isn’t as good as we originally thought and that even restaurants fall prey to greenwashing when choosing their supplies. Did you know that a lot of paper cups and containers are coated with a thin non-biodegradable plastic lining to hold heat and liquids? “That coating that helps packaging to hold liquids is chemical laden and requires the use of an industrial compost,” Alison says. Her team will talk to restaurants about these materials and offer more eco-friendly alternatives. “Those conversations are harder. But, they’re usually happy to learn and are appreciative and open to making the switch.”
How Jybe Rates Restaurants
So, what packaging materials does Jybe focus on to give restaurants a sustainable rating? Alison explains that there’s a three-tier system that they use to ‘grade’ restaurants for their sustainable initiatives. At the moment, the focus is on to-go packaging with an emphasis on the materials used and how they’ll impact the environment. As to materials that Jybe doesn’t see fit for to-go use? “We say heck no to Styrofoam and bioplastics,” Alison says.
- Gold: Restaurants that prioritize materials with reusable packaging and closed circuit systems.
- Silver: Items that can be endlessly recycled like glass or aluminum.
- Biodegradable: These are items that naturally break down after a few months or years like craft paper, boxes and bamboo utensils. These items also do no contain plastic finishes or harmful dyes to ensure that they break down naturally.
Eco-Friendly Takeout Tips
For now, it’s only the West Coast residents of Austin, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Denver and Boulder who will be able to use the app. But, for the rest of the U.S cities, Alison and her team will continue to work on the app and slowly launch elsewhere. For those of us not on the West Coast, there are still conscious steps that we can take to minimize our waste and engage in a few eco-friendly habits when ordering take-out. Here are Alison’s tips.
- Order directly from the restaurants. Say to them, “Please don’t include the utensils. Can you toss the dressing in the salad so that I don’t have the plastic.” Not only does the restaurant owner hear that, but it also has an impact when they can hear directly what their customers want.
- If you use food ordering apps, put in the same requests.
- If you’re walking over or driving ask if they’re willing to use your reusable containers. With Covid, cooks and restaurant workers are at the highest risk, so it might not be feasible right now, but it’s a tip that you can follow later.
- Avoid drinks, because there is no single-use cup on the market right now that is truly user friendly. Even the Starbucks cups are lined in plastic and take equipment that most cities don’t have to recycle.
Sustainability Isn’t About Perfection
Even though her career is focused on improving the state of the world, Alison is quick to point out that she doesn’t live a perfectly sustainable life. She’s an entrepreneur and mom with a busy life. “I’m not a super mom and I used disposable diapers. Some disposable items are unavoidable,” she says. What she does try to create is balance. She joins resell groups and engages in clothes swapping. These are the conscious changes that she makes to minimize her waste and carbon footprint that collectively will make a difference.
The same can be said for Jybe. It’s not about shaming a restaurant that isn’t 100% sustainable. It’s about supporting the restaurants that are making conscious changes to use circular packaging and become sustainable. It’ about starting with one impact area and making a change there. And, if we’ve learned anything about plastic recently, it’s that even if we all just reduce plastic waste a little bit, we can make a big difference. Alison says that is what Jybe wants to show their customers. “We’re trying to make sure that you know that you’re making difference.”