I Tried To Go Waste Free At The Movies

I love the movies. Getting together with friends and watching something on a big screen while shoving fistfuls of popcorn into your mouth? Sign me up. But — it can also be pretty wasteful because of my inability not to buy popcorn and snacks.

It is my personal opinion that if you go to the movies and don’t buy food, you may be a waste-free warrior, but you’re also an abomination and should have stayed home to watch Netflix. I’d like to say I’m joking, but on this point I am aggressive-aggressive.

The process of eating excessive amounts of popcorn is an essential element in your movie going experience. Even though popcorn wasn’t always associated with movies, once the connection was made no one has ever looked back. Anyway, because I’ve always had the impulse to see movies in theatres and buy popcorn, I thought I’d finally try to make the experience a little more sustainable and ideally make my next visit waste-free.

I finally had an opportunity last week when I went to see Hustlers. If you haven’t seen this film yet, I recommend it. The film is inspired by an article that went viral about strippers stealing money (and occasionally drugging) their Wall Street clients after 2008. Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, the film is getting a lot of buzz, with some speculating it could be an Oscar contender.

Getting Started

Before going to see Hustlers I made a list of all the ways that going to a movie might make a negative impact, including transportation to and from the theatre, ticket paper, food packaging and waste, as well as the buildings energy consumption.

Keeping these elements in mind I set my criteria for success:

1. avoid a newly printed ticket or receipt

2. avoid food packaging (but still get popcorn)

3. have no food waste

Bonus: If I take public transit or walk, and if the theatre I choose has energy reduction initiatives in progress.

The Plan

Most of the time being waste free requires just 5 minutes of extra planning, so before going to the theatre I put together a Waste-free Movie Starter Pack.

1. Phone with online ticket confirmations I bought my tickets online to prevent the receipt issue. Fingers crossed I remember to charge my phone.

2. Popcorn Bowl/ Container I picked out a bowl that I wanted to eat my popcorn from. Small enough to fit in my bag, but big enough to satisfy my need for carbs.

3. Water Bottle There’s something about salty popcorn that makes me want to drink 100 bottles of water. To prevent myself from buying bottled, I made sure to pack my own.

4. Old Pasta Jar I also like to eat candy when I watch movies, so my friend and I will be stopping at Bulk Barn before heading to the theatre (don’t tell).

5. Tote Bag Nothing better than my favorite tote to hold the starter pack essentials.

What was Reality? I went, I saw, I conquered!

My phone didn’t die, bulk barn was still open, the movie theatre filled my container with popcorn, and I didn’t waste a single bite. 3/3 success!

Unfortunately, I didn’t get my bonus points. My friend had a car, and I was so dazzled by the novelty of not walking or taking transit that I caved, sorry mom. The theatre I went to also did not advertise any energy reduction initiatives.

Anyway, I did it. Next time I’m going to try to take public transportation and test out a smaller theatre.

Now it’s your turn. Try seeing a movie waste free and share your experience with the hashtags #wastefreemovies and tag @infiniteearth2030 on social media.