Thumbs up from customers for bamboo takeaway tubs

For the past two weeks Auckland restaurant Revive has been doing its bit for the environment by trialling environmentally sustainable and biodegradable takeaway containers.

The restaurant will assess customer feedback on the new bamboo-based containers before making a call as to whether they will become a permanent takeaway fixture.

Revive owner Jeremy Dixon says the surveys received back so far indicate an overall positive response to the new containers with 70 per cent support.

James Evison is the director of Korupak, the company that supplies Revive with the eco containers. He says there has been “quite a groundswell” in demand for eco friendly containers.

“There are enough people out there that want to make a difference.”

An increase in demand has been met with a decrease in price. There used to be a significant difference but “pricing is more competitive now”, says Evison.

When it comes to environmental cost, Dixon says the containers can biodegrade in one month.

Sharon Jereb is the environment manager for the Packaging Council of New Zealand and credits people who want to help the environment but remains cautious. She says the use of biodegradable containers is “a great thing for awareness but unfortunately is not a silver bullet”.

“There’s a whole supply chain to consider [and the] end of life infrastructure is not always available. For any product to biodegrade it requires certain conditions,” she says.

Biodegradable products still go into dry landfills that have no air, sunlight and moisture - elements needed for products to biodegrade, she says.

There is also the risk of releasing methane gas when products do biodegrade in a landfill. You are “trading off one outcome against another”.

Evison says this argument “doesn’t wash”. While he acknowledges that some biodegradable packaging takes longer to break down in landfill, he maintains it is better than the alternative of plastic that may never break down.

He says you also need to factor in the production of the resources, like the bamboo-based containers that are made from renewable bamboo resources.

“Products we supply have been tested stringently by international bodies to test their sustainability.

“In a lot of cases you are using renewable resources. Plastics by their nature are petroleum based.”

Despite criticism, environmentally sustainable and biodegradable packaging is experiencing massive growth in New Zealand, says Evison.

A lot of corporate companies and councils are getting behind the use of biodegradable and environmentally friendly packaging.

Meanwhile, Dixon is focused on future plans for Revive. Cornstarch based biodegradable containers that have the look and feel of plastic are also being considered.

The restaurant definitely wants to head in a more recyclable and eco-friendly direction. “It’s what Revive is all about,” he says.