When it comes to food, plastics have had a positive impact on our lives – from providing a wide variety of food to more people across the globe, to reducing food waste and minimising the spread of food-borne disease. However, there are a growing number of scenarios where their benefits are being outweighed by their downfalls, as a result they are being villainised. It’s important to remember that plastics themselves are neither good nor evil – it’s how we use them that matters. A big shift in the system is needed. But the good news is that there are things we can all do, today, to make a difference.
So, just how bad is the problem of food waste…
In UK households, we waste 6.5 million tonnes of food every year and most of this is edible! This isn’t just eggshells and chicken bones; this is un-loved breadcrusts, leftover cucumber, and that last bit of rice we couldn’t eat. This edible wasted food is enough to fill 38 million wheelie bins… every year! The problem is that lots of time, energy, resources, and human effort has gone into making that food. So, every small amount that gets thrown out, whilst seeming insignificant at the time, really adds up.
But there is another problem. Food which gets thrown in general waste decomposes in a certain way that releases more methane which is a MORE potent greenhouse gas than CO2!
Altogether, wasted food in the UK accounts for 3% of the UK’s GHG emissions – that’s the same as the amount of GHG released by 7 million cars! Also, the amount of water required to make this food that gets wasted is 6.2 billion cubic metres – this is double the amount of water used by all households in the UK annually.
How has plastic reduced this?
When it comes to food, there are many scenarios where plastics do play an important role. Cucumbers, for example, are over 90% water by weight. This means that plastic wrapping can drastically increase shelf life, allowing cucumbers to reach more people and stay fresh in your fridge for longer.
Plastics are also really important for reducing contamination of foods as well as preventing the spread of food-borne diseases. Essentially, they keep the good stuff in and keep the bad stuff out. For example, plastics are currently the best available option for storing and transporting meat. Until there’s some more innovation in this space, plastics are the best we’ve got.
Finally, plastics are very practical. They are light and easy to handle, meaning they are easy (and cheap) to transport, stack, and display.
So, what are the problems…
First of all, is it a single-use plastic? Permanent plastics are less problematic because the cost (both economic and environmental) of producing them is diluted by their long-term benefit.
Next, it really matters whether the plastic can be recycled. From the moment it’s made, unrecyclable plastic is destined for incineration, landfill, or pollution.
Building on this, just because some types of plastic CAN be recycled, it doesn’t mean that they WILL be. Only 45% of UK household waste gets recycled. If we are to create a sustainable system, it is critical that the plastic which can be recycled gets recycled.
Building on this even further, is the plastic virgin (i.e. brand new), or is it recycled from existing plastic? Reusing existing plastics requires fewer natural resources and much less energy, and it also prevents plastics entering landfill or the natural environment.
Finally, and more broadly speaking, what product is it used for? I recently saw half a plastic-wrapped cucumber, which was itself wrapped in plastic – nonsense! Also, foods like sweets and chocolates do not necessitate the quantities of plastic which they currently use. Think about just how much plastic you find in a box of roses or celebrations. It is in these scenarios where the use of plastics – even if they get recycled – are wasteful and costly.
It’s also important to remember that, in general, foods that come in plastic are less healthy! There are of course exceptions, like the cucumber, but it certainly holds true for the sweets and chocolates. Also, think about all the packets of instant noodles, crisps, and biscuits. This is when the use of plastic is especially costly since the harm of the plastic isn’t outweighed by the health benefits of the food.
Just how much unnecessary plastic waste is produced?
It’s difficult to get exact statistics of how much ‘unnecessary’ plastic food packaging is produced each year – partly because this is subjective. In my opinion, wrapping plastic-wrapped cucumbers in more plastic is unnecessary. However, if that allows someone to buy a smaller portion size to reduce the likelihood of them having to throw some out, it could be argued that it’s a positive.
What I can say though, is that 8.2 billion kg of plastic – that’s the weight of just over more than 8 million cars – is used for food & drink packaging in Europe each year!
So what’s being done about it
The UK government recently released their 25 Year Environment Plan, which describes the move towards more sustainable production, providing more help to the consumer, improved recovery and management of waste, a plan to tackle food waste, research and innovation… and more. It sounds promising, and it’s certainly a step in the right direction… only time will tell if it is enough (and if they can stick to their ambitious targets).
Large corporations are also shifting towards a more sustainable way of operating. Nestlé, which is world’s largest packaged food company, seems to be making an effort to minimise plastic waste, through improving the recyclability of their packaging, pioneering alternative materials, and “driving new behaviour”, but the sceptic in me thinks these sound quite superficial.
There are also a growing number of start-ups revolutionising food packaging, reimagining everything from coffee pods to takeaways to sauce sachets.
Not all the new ideas and innovations, however, are entirely effective. I’m sure you’re aware of the massive rise in compostable packaging over the last few years. Whilst they are certainly a step in the right direction, they can be very problematic. This is why it is important for a systemic and holistic approach to solutions, otherwise we risk creating even more problems.
One trend that is almost entirely positive is the rise in refill pantries. Even some supermarkets are jumping on board. These are such great solutions to the single-use plastics problem which almost entirely eliminate the need for single-use packaging in the first place. Maybe one day we’ll see a refill butchers?
So, what can I do as an individual?
First of all, make some noise! The racket we have been making with our voices and purchases has dramatically shifted the food packaging landscape in the right direction, but we must keep going.
Making noise doesn’t mean you have to join all the protests and shout about it non-stop, it can be anything that involves using your influence…
Have more conversations with friends, family, employees, and employers. By simply making talking about these issues, we act to shift the national conversation in the right direction.
Email, message, and engage with food producers and sellers, whether that be cafes, restaurants, or supermarkets.
Vote with your wallet! WHERE and HOW you spend your money profoundly influences the landscape of food and food packaging.
What else can I do?
Change your relationship with food packaging...
As much as possible, avoid buying sweets and chocolates that come in a proportionately large quantity of plastic! The days of buying celebrations as an easy gift need to go!
Get hold of a reusable straw (or better yet, don’t use a straw!), and find a reusable coffee cup and water bottle (charity shops are your friends here; great variety, great price, second hand!)
When you go to supermarkets, bring bags to put your fruit and veg in! And if you forget the bags, just keep them loose in your trolley.
Buy seasonally & locally – this reduces the amount of plastic required because the foods don’t have to be packaged and transported anywhere near as far as those imported.
Find where your local food market is and try to get most of your food there. Not only will this mean you use less plastic, but you might save some money in the process.
Educate yourself on recycling labels – Follow Scrapp Recycling on Instagram.
Don’t buy plastic that can’t be recycled – you’ll know how to do this once you’ve learned your labels!
Recycle!!! Even though the figures on how much actually gets recycled are scary, putting our packaging in the correct recycling bins is still the best tool we have for recycling plastics.
And here are some tips to reduce food waste…
Get in the habit of writing and using weekly meal plans – read this to learn more about why this is such a useful tool.
From your meal plan, write a shopping list and remember to bring it!
Regularly check your fridge. Get in the habit of doing a quick check twice a week.
Have one day of the week where you make up a meal from food that needs eating up – you’ll discover some fun combinations!
Take a look at Stop Food Waste & Love Food Hate Waste. They have LOADS of great advice – everything from food-specific tips to entire kitchen hacks.
I give double-wrapped cucumbers 3/10
Key Sources and further reading…
Why save food – Love Food Hate Waste https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/why-save-food
New report highlights water and carbon impact of wasted food – WRAP https://www.wrap.org.uk/content/new-report-highlights-water-and-carbon-impact-wasted-food#:~:text=The%20same%20wasted%20food%20also,7%20million%20cars%20each%20year
UK Statistics on Waste – DEFRA https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-waste-data
Plastic packaging in the food sector – ING https://think.ing.com/uploads/reports/ING_-_The_plastic_puzzle_-_December_2019_%28003%29.pdf
Resources and waste strategy for England – Gov https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/resources-and-waste-strategy-for-england
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