Although shoyu-tai, small, single-use soy sauce packets, are charming and cute, they’re also particularly bad for the environment, as the plastic fish-shaped containers are usually too small to be recycled. Their shape and size, which endear them to sushi-eating humans, also make them easily confused for food by wildlife.
The ecological damage of shoyu-tai containers has led the state of South Australia to ban them. However, other types of single-use condiment packets, like small plastic sachets, which are also difficult to recycle, remain legal.
