- What if a sustainable person wants to get
McDonald's 'cause they're drunk?
- Exactly, we want convenience!
We want sustainability! - Yes.
- We want healthy food! - Yes!
Not always, but yes. - We want things!
- My name is Joyce, and this is my journey to zero waste.
♪ Zero z-zero z-zero zero waste. ♪
- Today we're going to be trying to get
fast food with no trash.
- Zero waste.
- We're gonna go to three different places,
where are we going, Joyce?
- We're going to McDonald's, Chipotle, and Chick-fil-A.
I think they're gonna look at me like, girl, you okay?
You came to McDonald's, you really caring
about how you feeling, about the environment,
when you're eating that double cheeseburger
that ain't healthy?
Can you put it in this container?
No, ma'am.
But I'm zero waste!
They're gonna be like, why did you get fast food then?
I'm kind of excited to see if it's gonna work.
- I think it really is gonna depend
on who's behind the counter.
(smooth jazz music)
What are we gonna order?
- I'm just gonna get my usual drunk food:
a McDouble, a medium fry, and a Frappe.
- How many containers do you think we need?
- Yeah, that should be enough.
- Let's try this.
I guess I'm gonna get a mushroom burger
'cause that looks like it's the only vegetarian option.
- I'm kinda nervous.
- You're getting nervous?
- Yeah.
Hi, I'm actually zero waste so I wanted to know
if you guys can put the food in these containers.
- So I can't use the voices of the fast food workers,
so I'm gonna have Aria do a dramatic reading.
- Hello!
Uh, I think we can, but I would need to ask a manager
to see if we can.
- [Auri and Joyce] Okay. - [Auri] Thank you.
- [Aria Voiceover] Sorry, we can't because,
due to sanitary reasons.
- [Auri] Sanitary reasons? - [Joyce] Okay.
- [Auri] Is there a way to get, like,
a drink in our container?
- [Aria Voiceover] I can still charge you the drink.
I still just have to give you a cup,
but you could fill it up right there.
- [Auri] Oh, I see. - [Joyce] Thank you.
- [Auri] Well, thank you for your time, we appreciate it.
- No go.
I hope it really is a sanitary thing and not an excuse.
- I think we should try another McDonald's.
- Okay.
- This is really just 'cause I want McDonald's,
yeah. - I was gonna say,
you're really giving McDonald's a second chance?
Let's do it! - [Auri] Take two.
- Let's be zero waste!
- [Auri] You feel nervous this time or not as much?
- A little bit, but I'll get over it.
I was wondering if we could put
our McDonald's order into these containers.
- [Aria Voiceover] I can't put that inside of them.
I mean, yeah, I could give you guys the food
and you could just put it in there.
- [Auri] But it would still come in packaging, right?
- [Aria Voiceover] Yeah, we can't put it in there
because we can't put anything
from the outside in the kitchen.
It's a health code violation for us.
(upbeat violin music)
♪ McDonald's won't put it in. ♪
- So I hear this thing about health codes,
but then that applies for some major brands,
and for others it doesn't.
Like, that applies to McDonald's
but it doesn't apply to Starbucks,
and that's where I get confused.
And also you could put processes in place
to make sure that it's completely clean.
- On to Chipotle.
I think Chipotle's gonna do it.
- I've done it at Chipotle before,
so I'm pretty sure they're gonna do it.
What do you like to get at Chipotle?
- I get a burrito bowl. - Burrito bowl?
Do they have tofu?
- Yeah, Amanda.
Hi, can I please get a burrito bowl?
- [Aria Voiceover] Burrito bowl.
- [Auri] Can we put it in our own container?
- [Aria Voiceover] I don't know if I can do that,
but I will ask first.
- [Auri] Okay, thank you. - [Joyce] Okay.
- [Aria Voiceover] I'm sorry, we can't.
We're not allowed to take anything
from the dining room back here.
- [Auri] Really?
I've done it at other Chipotle's before.
- [Aria Voiceover] That's what the manager told me.
- [Auri] Oh, okay. - [Joyce] Okay, all right.
- Thank you.
- [Aria Voiceover] Sorry about that.
- [Joyce] So we won't get food today?
- [Auri] I wanna eat, let's go to another Chipotle.
- We're just gonna travel to all the Chipotle's
in the city until we get a burrito bowl.
♪ No Chipotle today. ♪
How do you get fast food normally for you?
- I'll bring my own container if I want food to go,
but it's always at local restaurants,
so I haven't tried to do this at a fast food place.
I ate so much fast food as a child though.
My parents were young, my mom had me when she was 20,
you know, if you don't have a lot of money,
you eat a lot of fast food.
- Growing up as a kid, I lived in a food desert, you know?
I had two Haitian parents that came to this country.
Our neighborhood, there wasn't a farmer's market,
there was McDonald's, like, right across from the library
when my mom was working
and she dropped us off at the library.
My parents worked their butts off
for us to be in this country and have a good life,
and then the only foods that are available to us,
the foods that we could afford,
were unhealthy and full of unnatural chemicals.
♪ The final Chipotle! (The Final Countdown - Europe) ♪
She still has faith, but I think it's not gonna happen.
- I have a sliver of faith.
I'm gonna try asking in a very firm way.
- All right, I'll let you ask this time.
- [Auri] Hi, I'm wondering if I could please
have a veggie burrito bowl, but I'm wondering
is it possible to use my own container?
- [Aria Voiceover] Um, manager,
she wants to use her own container.
- [Auri] For the burrito bowl?
- [Aria Voiceover] She can't.
- [Auri] You can't? Okay.
Can I get a drink with our own container
'cause it's on the outside?
- [Aria Voiceover] I'm pretty sure just water,
you can't get any soda.
- [Auri] Okay, thank you. - [Joyce] Thanks.
- You did it for me one time, Chipotle, you did.
Last May, in Texas.
- She's been saying that in the car the whole day.
- Sustainability should be convenient,
that's why no one does it, 'cause it's so hard.
- It's so hard.
Our next stop is our frenemy, Chick-fil-A.
- I'm losing hope.
- You're such a Pisces.
- This is as most zero waste
as we were able to get our Chick-fil-A.
We got our drink.
We almost thought we were gonna get it zero waste.
He took our containers into his side of the window.
- And we were so excited, but he's like,
his manager said he couldn't.
- We came up short, we didn't get any food
zero waste except for our Arnold Palmer from Chick-fil-A,
so Chick-fil-A's our sustainability winner today.
A new day, a new opportunity for zero waste.
- You wouldn't let the dream die, Auri.
- I wouldn't let it die.
All the restaurants we went to
said that they couldn't fill our own containers
because health code prohibited that, but that's false, okay?
It's false, California health and safety codes
allow customers to bring in clean containers,
but it doesn't require restaurants to.
But, that's why today, I am taking you to a local business
- Okay. - Where we can get fast food
in our own container because I've done it there
many many times. - Okay, that's amazing!
Wait, what's the name of the place?
- We're going to Zankou's Chicken,
which is a Los Angeles staple and their food is delicious.
- That sounds amazing.
- Let's go, let's go, let's go get some Zankou's!
We have our own container, can we use our container?
- [Aria Voiceover] Yes!
- [Auri] Thank you.
- [Joyce] You know you look like a mom, right?
- [Auri] Maybe I am.
Thanks for taking our containers!
We did it. - We did it.
- Look at this. - I'm starving.
- Me too.
- This is great chicken.
That is flavor.
- [Auri] Moral of the story, go to local restaurants
and not chains if you wanna get your food
filled up in your own container.
- [Joyce] Makes sense.
- One meal here is around $8.99, which isn't too crazy
when you're able to get it zero waste
and in under five minutes.
- Yeah, zero waste is good for the soul
and good for your tummy.
Thank you so much for watching!
Please comment below if you would try this
at your favorite fast food restaurant.
Next week, I'm gonna make mac and cheese, but zero waste.
Hopefully I don't make my mother mad.
- But Chipotle, you did it for me one time!
In Texas! - She's been saying that
the whole time in the car, she's like,
I have an Instagram, I have proof!
(smooth wind music)