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Takeout trash mounts for Capital Region restaurants
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With COVID times showing more and more takeout in the dining scene, how much trash collects?Iryna Veklich/Getty Images
When restaurants were forced to quickly pivot from regular dining operations to to-go only options at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, one necessary logistical issue was the increased use of takeout containers. Containers were the only way restaurants could serve their food and became a critical element in keeping the restaurant open for operation, even if the dining room was closed.
Todd J. Leach, owner of TJ’s Cafe on Central Avenue in Albany, said that pre-pandemic, takeout orders totaled 30 to 35 percent of all business for his restaurant. During the pandemic, that grew to 70 percent. On Tuesday chicken Parmesan special night, he would serve 300 takeout dinners. Including pasta or potato, soup or salad and bread and butter, the container needs to properly transport the food out of t