With the rise in demand for and supply of food delivery and takeaway services, it has led to the increased usage of single-use plastic in delivered meals, from containers to carrier bags. “Single-use plastic has a utility lasting just a few seconds or for some minutes in the case of a takeaway meal, but such products linger on – 450 years for plastic bottles and disposable diapers” (Liew, 2018).
In Singapore, when we go to a bakery, they are often packed separately and consumers tend to accept the norm of having our bread packed separately. Here is a recount by an environmentally-conscious customer (Lim, 2019).
“…when he was done paying, I was almost going to cry. First the 13 buns, each in 1 plastic bag of its own. Then he wanted 6 buns in 1 bag, and 7 buns in another – and he wanted them double-bagged. Then he asked the cashier to give him 1 large bag to put everything into. In 1 bakery trip for 13 buns, there was a total of 18, EIGHTEEN PLASTIC BAGS used in 1 single transaction.” – Tabao Girl on Instagram.
These norms set by corporations have become ingrained in consumer behavior and many find it difficult to make special requests, such as reducing the use of plastics. “Companies are keen to win over customers and see offering individual packaging and free bags as good service. Consumers are in turn trained to expect and demand such provisions and this vicious cycle perpetuates itself countless times, every single day.” (Lim, 2019). Hence, when consumers do not opt for more sustainable options such as reducing plastic usage or bringing their reusable containers, the production, usage and disposal of single-use plastics and other disposable materials result in greater environmental pollution.
We have established that increased plastic waste can result in air pollution, but we seldom think about how air pollution can lead to an increase in plastic waste. There are also studies which found a strong causal link between air pollution and plastic waste through the demand for food delivery (NUS, 2020). “A 100 μg/m³ increase in PM2.5 raised food delivery consumption by 7.2 per cent… and the propensity to order delivery was six times larger, at 43 per cent.” (ibid.). Hence, we see that with poor air quality, it could lead to the increase in food delivery orders and increase in plastic usage from “6.6g of plastic during the average dine-in meal to 2.8 single-use plastic items and an estimated 54 grams of plastic” (ibid.).
What are some strategies that you have implemented to reduce your Foodprints in your daily life?
Through the traditional linear resource use, we have arrived at the last stage: disposal, where goods are being discarded after usage. We will explore how the ways of disposal can lead to different environmental and health impacts and some solutions that corporations, state and consumers can adopt to reduce our Foodprints.
Trailing off,
Jade and Ridzuan
References
Liew, V.C (2018).Commentary: Dear Singapore, a plastic future is not fantastic. CNA. [online] 7 Nov. Available at: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/ipcc-climate-change-singapore-plastic-future-not-fantastic-10901286 [Accessed 25 Oct. 2020].
Lim, S.S. (2019). Commentary: Wasteful practices of affluence must stop. CNA. [online] 7 Sep. Available at: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/wasteful-practices-of-affluence-repair-cutlery-plastic-bags-11880308 [Accessed 25 Oct. 2020].
NUS. (2020). Air pollution drives food delivery consumption and plastic waste. [online] Research- Impact. Available on: https://news.nus.edu.sg/research/air-pollution-drives-food-delivery-consumption-and-plastic-waste [Accessed 25 Oct. 2020].
