While we have witnessed the positive environmental implications of lockdowns brought upon by COVID-19 such as the reduction in global oil consumption from increased telecommunication, the same is unable to be said with respect to waste generated from the consumption of food.

A World of Plastic

With the implementation of lockdowns and social distancing measures, eating-out has inevitably become a hassle. This has in turn inspired a surge in demand for home delivery services of food and groceries, and a subsequent increase in the generation of common packaging plastic waste – Polypropylene (PP), Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), among many others (Sharma et al., 2020).

This growth in demand for food and grocery deliveries can be felt globally, with Hyun (2020) reporting an increase in online shopping in countries such as South Korea which experienced a rise of 92.5% in online food purchases and 44.5% on daily necessities as compared to last year. These habits are also prevalent in Singapore, a study conducted by the National University of Singapore’s Master of Science (Environmental Management) programme revealed that an extra 1,334 tonnes of plastic waste, equivalent to the weight of 92 double-decker buses, was generated from takeaway and delivery meals during the two-month circuit breaker period of stay-home curbs (Oan & Ang, 2020). It is thus evident that the reliance on online shopping for home delivery of commercial and essential products during lockdowns has heightened the dependence on single-use plastics in the form of packaging made of film and foam. This is especially a cause of concern due to their non-biodegradable nature and low recycling rates.

Paralysing the Food Chain

The introduction of lockdowns and travel restrictions has crippled the food supply chain, resulting in numerous challenges and ramifications. The fear stemming from nationwide lockdowns in many countries has induced panic-buying and irrational stockpiling of (perishable) groceries, leading to disrupted food waste generation dynamics (Sharma et al., 2020). The hoarding of food items with limited shelf-life, especially without proper storage methods may also increase waste generation.

Moreover, the disruption of supply chains entails that farmers and wholesalers are unable to transport produce to the retailers for their eventual sale. This is attributed to the fact that the production of food typically takes place in rural settings, with the availability of large tracts of land, away from the urban sprawl (Sharma et al., 2020) where consumers are located. Additionally, the closure of some restaurants and schools due to social distancing measures reduces the demand for fresh produce needed for meals. Consequently, significant amounts of perishable agricultural products have been discarded, the excerpt below sheds some light on the predicaments of the affected farmers

“Huge ditches were dug up in Idaho to bury 1 million pounds of onions. [Dairy Farmers of America, the US’ largest dairy cooperative, estimates that farmers are dumping as many as 3.7 million gallons of milk each day. A single chicken processor is smashing 750,000 unhatched eggs every week.] And in South Florida, a region that supplies much of the Eastern half of the United States with produce, tractors are crisscrossing bean and cabbage fields, plowing perfectly ripe vegetables back into the soil.” (Bellany & Corkery, 2020)

Outside of the United States, farmers in Maharashtra, India discarded vegetables and fruits in garbage containers due to the closure of numerous Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMC) – an organisation that facilitates the selling of farmers’ goods in cities (Jadhav, 2020).

As we have mentioned in the previous post, food waste encompasses the end-product and the resources used to cultivation and transportation processes.

Looking Forward

Inevitably, plastic usage is bound to increase during the pandemic, and food is just part of a greater circle of culprits. However, with the use of reusable takeaway containers and proper management of treatment and recycling facilities, its adverse effects can be alleviated. Major food waste has been observed from broken supply chains and this has the potential to be addressed with the cooperation of governments and producers. Moreover, creating robust and localized supply chains to counter food wastage would be useful in our response to future disruptions. Perhaps our current situation could catalyse sustainable and reliable food supply chains that can benefit the global population 😀

 

References:

Bellany, D. Y., & Corkery, M. (2020). Dumped milk, smashed eggs, plowed vegetables: food waste of the pandemic. The New York Times. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/business/coronavirus-destroying-food.html [Accessed 4 October 2020]

Jadhav, R. (2020). Lockdown impact: Maharashtra farmers dump vegetables and fruits in trash containers. Business Line. Available from: https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/lockdown-impact-maharashtra-farmers-dump-vegetables-and-fruits-in-trash-in-garbage-containers/article31328165.ece# [Accessed 4 OCtober 2020]

Oan, C., & Ang, L. S. (2020). Commentary: Here’s what months of food deliveries and takeaways have taught us. Channel News Asia. Available from: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/plastic-zero-waste-byo-food-delivery-takeaway-resuable-container-12844324 [Accessed 4 October 2020]

Sharma, H. B., Vanapalli, K . R., Cheela, V. S., Ranjan, V. P., Jaglan, A. K., Dubey, B., & Goel, S. (2020). Challenges, opportunities, and innovations for effective solid waste management during and post COVID-19 pandemic. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105052

Images:

Bellany, D. Y., & Corkery, M. (2020). Dumped milk, smashed eggs, plowed vegetables: Food waste of the pandemic. The New York Times. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/11/business/coronavirus-destroying-food.html [Retrieved 4 October 2020]

Elangovan, N. (2020). Singapore households generated an additional 1,334 tonnes of plastic waste during circuit breaker: Study. Today. Available from: https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singapore-households-generated-additional-1334-tonnes-plastic-waste-during-circuit-breaker [Accessed 4 October 2020]