>Downsides to using ... wood for takeout should be obvious

I don't understand why our civilization has still not replaced almost everything with bamboo (though technically the bamboo is grass, not wood). It grows fast (and an order of magnitude better sink for CO2 than trees) and seems to be very usable as bamboo utensils demonstrate for example.

Bamboo requires a lot of processing to make anything useful out of it. It's not as eco-friendly as the manufacturers of bamboo products, especially fabrics, like to make out.

It’s more expensive and more of a hassle to deal with than plastic or plastic/wax coated paper.