Cutting plastic when you eat out: five things you can do today

The plastic follows you from lunch to dinner

A takeaway meal usually arrives with a plastic box, a plastic bag, a straw and a plastic spoon, and then a larger bag around all of it to keep things tidy. Three meals a day like that, and the plastic adds up faster than you would think. The good news is that nothing dramatic is needed. A few small habits, starting with today's meal, do most of the work.

Five things you can do today

There is no occasion to wait for. All five are within anyone's reach, and none of them costs anything.

1. Carry a cloth bag or a small basket

Keep a folded cloth bag in your backpack or under the seat of your bike. When you stop for a banh mi or a drink, use that rather than taking another plastic bag from the shop.

2. Say one short sentence: no plastic bag, thanks

Plenty of shops bag things by default, even for a single loaf you are going to carry in your hand. One sentence before you pay removes a layer of plastic that was never needed.

3. Turn down single-use plastic straws

If you are drinking in, drink from the glass, or use a paper straw if the shop has them. A plastic straw is in use for a few minutes and around for a very long time afterwards.

4. Bring your own box for takeaway

For anyone who regularly buys dinner to take home, one sturdy reusable box washed and kept ready in the kitchen is more convenient than accepting a new one every time.

5. Separate the waste

Paper wrapping and plastic boxes belong in different places, not balled up together in one bag. That simple sorting is what lets the recyclable part actually be recycled.

How Banh Mi XANH wraps things

At all five shops the banh mi is wrapped in paper, and nobody pushes a plastic bag on a customer who does not want one. If you bring a cloth bag or your own box, we will pack it that way. It is a small thing rather than a grand gesture — but it is doable, so we do it.

Eating out with less plastic does not mean eating less well

A vegan meal of tofu, fresh herbs and pickled carrot carries plant protein and fibre at the level you would expect from a meal eaten out. That is everyday nutrition, not a diet prescribed by a doctor and not a treatment for anything. Eating out simply, with less waste and enough to be full, is the realistic daily target.

How to order

The five Banh Mi XANH shops — 38 Lê Thị Riêng, 15B Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, 2B Trần Hưng Đạo and 148B Đề Thám in District 1, and 210 Bùi Văn Ba in District 7 — are open 24 hours. For delivery call 0923.183.183; orders from 500,000d within 5km are delivered free. If you are passing, come in with a cloth bag and we will pack it however you want it.

The menu has Thập Cẩm at 59,000d, Chả Lát Chay at 53,000d, Đậu Hũ Cay at 56,000d, Bơ Đường at 28,000d and the big Thượng Hạng Premium at 75,000d. To drink there is Black Coffee at 35,000d, Nut Milk Coffee at 45,000d, Jasmine Lemon Tea at 36,000d, Nut Milk Bubble Tea at 45,000d and the Brown Sugar version at 48,000d. Order what you always order, bring your own bag or box, and that is one meal out with less waste than yesterday's.

Quick questions

Do I have to take a plastic bag when I buy a banh mi to go?

No. The loaf is already wrapped in paper — just say you do not need a bag, or bring your own cloth one.

Can I bring my own container for a drink to take away?

Yes. Bring a cup or a container and the staff will pour straight into it, with no shop cup needed.

Is delivery charged?

Orders from 500,000d within 5km are delivered free. For smaller or more distant orders, call 0923.183.183 for the charge.

What hours are the shops open?

All five are open 24 hours, so a late supper or an early breakfast is ordered the same way as anything else.

What sort of straws do you use?

Paper straws for anyone drinking in — and you are welcome to take no straw at all.

Is a vegan lunch enough for a working day?

A loaf with tofu, salad and pickled carrot gives plant protein and fibre at the everyday level you would expect from a meal out. It does not replace personal dietary advice from a doctor.