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People on long layovers get into survival mode. They eat food they don't like. They snag up seats like their lives depend on it even though they've been sitting for hours and are waiting to sit for several more hours. I personally don't mind the airport. I can always get some good reading done. There are three things that seem to be ubiquitous in airports. All of these three things are extraneous, and they are detrimental to the environment. Next time I'm in O'Hare watching MSNBC on a loop, I will be prepared to avoid these items:
Gum
People use gum to deal with the uncomfortable pressure change because chewing helps keep your ears clear. By that rationale, wouldn't raisins or other chewy foods work too? It's hard to find a package of gum these days that doesn't contain a few ingredients that are very Google-able as far as the unsavory health concerns. Most importantly, gum is packaged to high hell. There is no reason you need to wrap your gum in plastic, seal each piece in plastic and cover it with thin cardboard or foil. It makes it cumbersome to recycle as well when you have foil, plastic, and paper. Gum also refuses to biodegrade. Skip it. Buy some raisins or some taffy.
Bottled Water
Since folks can't bring a thermos full of water past security, people buy enough bottled water once they are inside the airport to cross the Sahara. You can still get an empty thermos in the terminal. And guess what? Water fountains galore! Fill them up.
Heavily Packaged Food
It may be more expensive, but try to find a sit-down restaurant to grub at. So many of the sandwiches and salads a la carte are over-packaged. Many times, not even with a thin wrap of plastic, but with a thick angry plastic that you can hurt yourself when opening if you're not careful. Some of those containers, especially the ones for the pizzas, are too big to fit in the recycling bins without a huge production of forcing and stuffing, until you give up and delicately balance your container on top of the trash because it's easier.
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