There are a few people that I cook for who never return any food container you give them food to take home in. My little sis always returns anything she takes home but there are a couple others that I have to make sure and send food home in disposable pans because if I send home any of my pans I will never see them again. It did me no good to say please send my pan back. I even went to their house a few times and saw my pans outside on the porch with rain water standing in them or even in the yard. I even tried the old if you dont take care of this particular pan you get no more food. I would still find the pans on the porch or yard. One of them even told me once they had hoped I wasnt going to ask for this little roaster with a lid back because it was cute and they wanted to keep it. It is like they dont even consider I may want the pan back. Good cookware is expensive.

I get the tall deli cups with lids for .30 each at the deli and throw away baking pans with lids for $2 each at the Dollar Store. Anything I cook for them now goes in either a deli cup, disposable baking pan, foil or ziploc bag.

I never got back so much - it's not right -
they want food - they supply the containers - period.
And since disposable containers are pricy - they can buy them.
I'm sick of it - I'll tell them right out - the food is going into an aluminum pan and remember that aluminum pans and aluminum foil causes Alzheimer's - so good luck.
If I don't happen to have a disposable pan - oh well - I'll enjoy my cooking and they won't.
They learn quite fast.

Y'all are just down right mean. Don't you know that dogs and chickens like a change up in dinner ware. CF:D

I swear I don't think mine would ever learn. You have wonder what they think. They know the dishes cost money. Its like they will say something over one of my jackets and I say this coat is 10+ years old. Im like yeah when you take care of things they tend to last. These are the same people who in the summer you will see their dogs laying on their winter coats and then come fall they are complaining they have no coat. I have given them a few of my own coats never to be seen again and the next fall they are without a coat again.
When you leave your cookware and knives in the rain or sitting in dishwater they are going to rust. Let your cookware sit dirty for days and it is going to rust and wear them out faster. Never clean rotisseries and the like and of course they will stop working.

Just like you said the disposable take home pans can get a bit costly. Even a regular roll of foil here costs around $4 or more.

like I said - let them pay or let them deliver the pans ad dishes - I take care of everything - I wish others would