Imagine that! After some thought (and usage) I see quite a bit of advantage in using a drink bag over the cardboard carrier.
- Reduced spillage -- The drink is essentially being carried from the top in the bag, whereas with the cardboard carrier it is essentially being carried from the bottom which is inherently less stable in terms of preventing spilling. Consequently we have to walk on eggshells when carrying a tray with drinks and it's the main reason we tend to hold individual glasses from the top, where gravity and the centripetal action from swinging from the top reduces spillage.
- Contained spillage -- The enclosing bag keeps what spillage does happen contained and not spread to one's clothing or other items. It also makes it possible to embed the drink in a larger bag with other items with less fear.
- Carrying convenience -- When the number of drinks is one or two, I find the bag carrier easier to carry. With 3 or more, I'm not quite sure. A tray has better capacity, but embedding a number of drinks in bags within a larger bag might be just as well, though it is certainly safer. Still, the more common case is only a drink or two.
- Trash volume -- Those cardboard trays are thick and can take up a lot of space, esp in the trashcan. The baggies in contrast are thin and collapsible and can be used to collect trash or some other purpose if clean enough.
This analysis really only applies to drink cups that have lids. Without lids, the tray model seems more appropriate but then you're probably not taking the drinks very far, only to the nearby booth and not your car or around the city.
But hrmm... plastic bag vs cardboard? Seems to violate something, right? I think the bags can be made just as environmentally friendly. In fact I not long ago bought biodegradable "plastic" bags for composting. I don't see a problem. We should be using them.
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