Asking for coffee in a reusable cup or reusing shopping bags is second nature for many, but bringing your own containers for takeaway can take some adjustment. Here are some practical tips to help you get started.
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Before the rise of inexpensive, single-use takeaway packaging, it is said that Australian families would bring saucepans to their local Chinese restaurants to collect their Friday night takeout. Until the early 1980s, fish and chips were traditionally wrapped in old newspapers, until concerns about ink contamination led to a ban.
Today, Australians’ enthusiasm for coffee has made reusable coffee cups common, and most households have multiple Tupperware containers for school lunches. However, bringing your own container to a salad bar or deli counter for takeaway still feels unfamiliar to many.
According to government data, Australians generate 3.2 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, with the majority sent to landfill. Approximately 39% of this plastic waste is packaging, including 27,800 tonnes of single-use takeaway containers and 25,500 tonnes of plastic bags each year — roughly equivalent in weight to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Some states, such as South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory, have banned plastic food and drink containers and cutlery. However, there are no laws in Australia preventing customers from bringing their own containers to food retailers. Individuals and workplaces can choose to use reusable food containers and crockery for takeaway, catering, and events, supported by systems and container exchanges that facilitate this transition.
About ten years ago, Bianca Cotton, founder of BYO Containers Australia — a volunteer-run website that maps businesses willing to accept customers’ reusable packaging — noticed confusion among zero waste Facebook groups regarding their options.
“A big part of what I was seeing was people who weren’t sure what they could do or what was fair to ask. I wanted to provide some knowledge and give people the confidence to give it a go.”Eight years and 2,000 businesses later, she shares some useful advice.
Start with what you have
Cotton advises there is no need to purchase special equipment immediately.
“If you’ve got Tupperware in your cupboard use that.”She also recommends netted bags for fresh produce at supermarkets and old jars as useful alternatives. However, she warns against using single-use plastic takeaway containers leftover from meal delivery services, as
“those aren’t fit for purpose.”These containers are made from less durable plastics that degrade easily, making them difficult to clean properly and increasing the risk of harmful chemicals leaching into food.
Requesting your takeaway in a reusable container may feel awkward initially, but Cotton emphasizes the importance of asking before placing your order and explaining your intentions. While cafes are accustomed to accepting reusable coffee cups, takeaway lunches such as pasta, rice, noodle dishes, or salads may be a new experience for some.
“Sometimes stores might just throw out a line that it’s not legal, but it is.”
The primary concern from venues may be cross-contamination, so ensure your container is clean and sanitary. Ultimately, acceptance is at the venue’s discretion. If refused, Cotton suggests accepting this in good faith or requesting a conversation with a manager to encourage them to review the legislation and consider allowing it in the future.
Businesses like butchers, fishmongers, and delis may be more familiar with BYO containers. Provided your container is clean and dry, there is no legal reason they cannot accommodate you. Cotton advises waiting patiently if there is a queue, allowing others to be served first so staff have time to consider your request without pressure.
“You don’t want it to become a rushed, clumsy encounter,”she says.
Test out easy foods first
Cotton recommends starting with simple items.
“Sushi rolls are really easy,”she notes, having rarely encountered a handroll vendor unwilling to accept a customer’s container. Bakery items, sandwiches, and even burgers can also be easily packed into lunchboxes if you ask ahead.
At the supermarket, bring your own mesh bags for produce; many stores sell these in-store. For bakery goods, a cotton bag or even an old pillowcase can serve as lightweight alternatives to disposable packaging.
If you frequently purchase meals from a local takeaway, Cotton suggests investing in a tiffin — a stackable set of metal containers popular in the Indian subcontinent — which are generally welcomed by vendors.
How workplaces can support reuse
While bringing your own lunch to work can save money, carrying Tupperware back and forth may be inconvenient and unhygienic. Returnr, a reusable container scheme founded in 2018, offers a practical solution. Their workplace kits provide a shared pool of reusable containers in various shapes and sizes, scalable to any business. Employees can borrow coffee cups, bento boxes, or bowls when they want to purchase food during the day. After use, containers are washed and returned to the storage station for others to use.
Most of Returnr’s products are made from stainless steel, which Brett Capron, the company’s design director, says outperforms other materials in terms of reuse and recyclability. Stainless steel is 100% recyclable, and in Australia approximately 90% of metal waste is recycled compared to just 12% of plastic.
“A stainless steel product will last for thousands and thousands of uses … it’s an amazing material that just bounces back time after time after time.”
As employers encourage employees to return to the office, Capron believes that small benefits like providing clean, sustainable lunch packaging options can make the workplace environment
“just a bit more appealing.”
