Is anyone working on reducing single use plastics from food cart pods?

Hi! I adore Portlands food cart scene. It’s so eccentric and vibrant and I love eating outside in the summer. There is one thing I hate about food carts though and that’s the insane amount of plastic waste generated.

Its one thing to get everything packaged up for takeout, but it feels so weird to get a bunch of single use plastic from a food cart to then go eat at a table in front of said food cart.

It also feels so at odds with Portland’s more lower waste vibes.

I understand logistically why this happens - it’s easier for each cart to have their own packaging than it is to coordinate with multiple carts and hire dishwashers. For this reason, I suspect there won’t be widespread reduction in food packaging waste from food carts until someone legislates something.

I do know some pods do have a system in place. Hinterlands is one of those. So there is a model.

I do personally bring my own silverware and napkins…and I am aware that some places have compostable packaging. But, many pods don’t actually have green compost bins on-site and so the options are to pack up your trash and bring it home to compost, or toss it in landfill where it won’t compost. It’ll just make methane.

I’m wondering if anyone knows of anyone or organization working on a project to reduce waste from food cart pods?