🍝 Food delivery and takeaway demand have increased since the beginning of the pandemic. Many believe plastic rather than paper containers are a more hygienic option for food packaging; however, a study by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay suggests that the virus can survive 7 days on plastic, but only 3 hours on paper.
🍬 Even before the pandemic, the food industry has been a major source of single-use plastics, most of which are not recycled or composted, but instead sent to landfills or incinerated. Increased plastics in landfills emit greenhouse gases that worsen climate change 🌡
🐟 Litter from food packaging also poses a threat to marine life and birds. It clogs the waterways, and animals mistaken for food or become entangled in it.
🍱 There are a few services that provide reusable bowls to restaurants and collaborate with online delivery platforms to reduce the consumption of single-use plastics.
🍽 Container-sharing services like Muuse and barePack aid restaurants and diners in reducing plastic waste. Operating on a subscription model, these services charge diners for unlimited use of their reusable containers and cups. Diners rent the reusables to take away food at participating outlets and return them after eating. Diners can also request the food be delivered in reusables from restaurants that offer them. The container-sharing services lend reusables at no cost to restaurants, saving them them hassle and cost of investing in their own inventory of reusables. GrabFood has recently teamed up with Muuse, barePack, and Biopak to provide consumers a reusable packaging option on their next food order.
🚨 Is choosing to protect our own safety at the expense of polluting the environment the only option we have during this critical time?
Or would you rather choose safety and sustainability together by cooking food yourself or subscribing to container-sharing services to help reduce single-use food packaging?
💭 Comment below!