Items for a Minimal Waste Picnic

Let’s Go on a Minimal Waste Picnic! — Items for a Minimal Waste Picnic

Let’s head out for a picnic, with sustainable products in tow.

Words Parc Jinmyoung
Photos courtesy of XENIA TALER, Kunst Heute, Paperpop, Rhetoric, and The Picker

To. You Who Keep Using Reusable Containers, No Matter the Crisis

In November 2023, the government announced that it would substantially relax its restrictions on single-use items at restaurants, cafés, convenience stores, and the like. With the one-year grace period about to expire, it overturned the rules’ enforcement altogether, which sparked a major controversy. The stated reason was that “the sacrifice for one side (small business owners) is too great to push ahead as planned.” But the grace period had been put in place precisely to account for that burden, which makes the decision all the more puzzling.
I thought we were about to take another step toward a more sustainable society, and I doubt I’m the only one feeling deflated. Still, we have to keep doing what we’ve been doing. So the product I’m introducing today is tableware made of bamboo. I originally chose it as a reusable item for picnics, but with the weather suddenly turning cold, I can hardly urge anyone to head outdoors, so I’ll dress it up as something that works just as well indoors and out. And it really is! XENIA TALER’s side plate (KRW 20,000) is light because it’s made of bamboo, and its cheerful patterns and colors are guaranteed to lift your mood. XENIA TALER is a Canadian lifestyle brand, and its charm lies in the vibrant patterns and colors inspired by nature and everyday life. The side plate is made from bamboo discarded during the manufacturing process. Cornstarch and a food-grade melamine binder are added to the bamboo powder before it’s molded into shape. Bamboo is a 100 percent biodegradable material, so you can rest easy even after the plate is thrown away. There’s also a gift set that bundles it with a dinner plate, so how about a present that considers both the environment and the people in it?
P.S. It’s dishwasher safe, but it can’t go in the microwave.

To. You Who Dream of Being a Savvy Zero-Waster

Last summer, I went on a week-long business trip to Gwangju. It rained for half of the trip, and the other half was sweltering. The photographer I traveled with, a studio director, struggled to protect his camera whenever it poured, and to wipe the sweat streaming down his body whenever the sun blazed. What stood by him through it all was a handkerchief. He told me he always packs several handkerchiefs on assignments, and that he puts up with the chore of washing them every night. Watching him, I marveled, “Oh, you’re so MZ generation!” I’d heard that the must-haves in the bags of the environmentally minded MZ generation (Millennials and Gen Z) are a tumbler and a handkerchief.
Carrying just one handkerchief can cut a surprising amount of needless everyday waste. The reason I’d like to recommend Kunst Heute’s handkerchief (KRW 20,000), from the fabric brand of the same name, is that it’s made of 100 percent cotton and dyed with natural dyes, so you can use it with peace of mind. It comes in four colors: the vermilion is dyed with madder, a plant used in traditional Korean medicine; the yellow with calendula petals; the blue with indigo; and the gray with pomegranate peel. You can also choose the color intensity for each shade. Each piece is made and dyed by hand, one at a time, so size and color vary slightly from one to the next, which only makes them look more unique.

To. You Who Want to Enjoy Festivals Guilt-Free in This Season of Endless Blessings from the Weather

One day every October, the night sky above Hangang Park in Yeouido, Seoul, fills with dazzling light and shapes. That’s when the Seoul International Fireworks Festival takes place. Fireworks, though, are an event that’s good for no one: not people, not animals, not the planet. The air pollution from the chemicals released when fireworks explode harms both people and the Earth, and the deafening booms and flashes can be deadly to wildlife (April to May and September to October, when migratory birds are on the move, call for particular caution).
And what about the scene after the festival ends? Articles poured in from all over saying the area around Hangang Park, where a million people had gathered, had turned into a mountain of trash: picnic mats, all sorts of plastic containers, paper boxes soaked in fried chicken grease, leftover food, and more. On the morning of the 8th, the day after the fireworks festival, about 70 tons of trash was collected in the area, reportedly an increase of about 40 percent over the previous year. How can we change the festival’s waste problem?
Instead of the picnic mats we toss so easily every time, why not start with a chair and table made of paper? Paperpop’s portable paper chair and table set (KRW 9,900), from the paper furniture brand, includes two chairs and one table. It folds up for easy carrying and is light because it’s made of paper. And set aside your worries about water resistance and durability. Made with special corrugated cardboard, it has a water-repellent coating and is sturdier than ordinary paper, so you can use it with confidence. You can choose between two chair styles: the Megatote, which has just a thin backrest, and the Chasher, whose backrest doubles as storage and a small side table. This time, bring a reusable chair and table; next time, carry food in reusable containers instead of ordering delivery. If we change one thing at a time like this, I’m hopeful we might get festivals that truly end in a “grand success,” literally with a full house.
P.S. The chair can hold an adult weighing up to 90 kilograms, but reportedly a 50-kilogram adult can use it up to five times. When you’re done, recycle it with the paper!

To. You Who Want to Join the ‘Yonggi-nae (Dare to Bring a Container) Challenge’

What do you do when you need to collect a scattered mind? Personally, I like to cook. Late in the evening, after I pack a lunchbox for the next day, I feel completely at ease. In the rush of daily life, it's harder than you'd think to set aside time that is truly your own. Even a humble dish makes me feel better once I've made something for myself. When I haven't managed to prepare a lunchbox, I stop by my favorite snack shop on the way to work. And I never forget to ask them to pack my gimbap (Korean rice rolls) in a reusable container. I'm an enthusiastic participant in the ‘Yonggi-nae Challenge’ (a pun on “bring a container” and “muster courage”), too.
Rhetoric's Lunch Box (38,000 won) shines whether you're making a packed lunch or joining that challenge. It's made from corn-based PLA bioplastic, a plastic alternative. It's also worth noting that its form is modeled on the chanhap, the traditional Korean tiered lunchbox. The sleek, simple round design seems to reflect the concise, minimal life that Rhetoric champions. It feels as though it was also meant to make you think about what you truly need to live, much like a lunchbox that holds only as much as you will eat. Rhetoric, known for its vivid colors and varied graphic patterns, is a brand born for a lifestyle with a strong sense of self-efficacy and environmental sensitivity. Beyond the lunch box, it makes products for daily life and the planet, including fabrics woven from recycled PET bottles and vegan straps. I hear it is now stocked at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France, introducing Korea's environmental sensibility and lunchbox culture.

To. You, Who Were Blindsided by Paper Straws

Recently, a study found that paper straws are not an environmentally friendly alternative after all, drawing public outrage. A research team led by Dr. Thimo Groffen at the University of Antwerp in Belgium tested 39 types of straws sold in Europe for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and announced that PFAS were detected in 18 of the 20 paper straws. PFAS are chemicals in which carbon and fluorine bond so strongly that they barely break down. They pollute the environment and are hard for the human body to expel, which is why they have recently come under regulation. Paper straws already feel unpleasant to use, so learning that they're bad for the environment, too, makes the betrayal sting even more. There are dissenting views, though. After the Belgian team's findings were reported, Seoil, a Korean paper straw manufacturer, pushed back. It released test certificates from an international body showing that its straws contain neither PFAS nor some 60 other harmful substances, and protested that “not all paper straws are like that.”
Whichever side you believe, using a reusable straw may be the best solution. If you really must use a straw, let's accept a little inconvenience. With the stainless steel straw (2,000 won) and straw cleaning brush (2,000 won) from the zero-waste shop The Picker, you won't have to be shocked by news about the toxicity of paper straws. Stainless steel releases no heavy metals or harmful substances when heated and boasts a 95 percent recycling rate, so it is considered a leading eco-friendly material. The cleaning brush is made of plant fibers, so it has less impact on the environment. The Picker happens to be selling a zero-waste starter kit that includes a straw, a straw pouch, a cleaning brush, and a bamboo toothbrush. If paper straws never won you over, why not pick one up this time?