CAMPAIGN # break up with food delivery waste

Tap on a food delivery app in your phone, pick your favorite restaurant and dishes. Soon, a delivery of piping hot food arrives within 30 minutes. But what you may ignore is that the plastic containers, bag and single-used cutlery it come in could be around for hundreds of years thereafter.

Food delivery waste has become a major source of urban environmental pollution, which threaten not only the environment, but also human health.

This article might help you transform into a more responsible consumer. Not only will this save you money, it will help improve your health and keep our planet clean.

Recognize the Dangers of Food Delivery Waste

Why are food delivery waste bad for the environment?

• The disposable containers and packaging are non-biodegradable. Boxes used in food deliveries are usually made of plastics such as polypropylene and polystyrene, or paper and aluminium foil.
• Recycling food delivery waste is a difficult process. In China, food delivery waste is primarily disposed of by sanitary landfilling (51%), incineration (45%), and illegal dumping and burning. Landfilling 1 kg of food delivery waste would result in 1.14 kg CO2e of greenhouse gas emissions.

Check out this video to know how clingy food delivery waste could be.

• Further, the issue of ocean plastic leakage related to deliver waste remains a significant problem to the biodiversity. Each year, 1.5 million tons of plastic waste flows out of the Yangtze River into the seas. This might lead to a physical disruption to marine life such as entanglement or ingestion, and the loss of biodiversity.

You are invited to experience how food delivery waste threaten the marine biodiversity in this AR. (Instructions: click the waste you found and listen to the audio, and don’t forget to greet our amazing neighbors!)

Why are food delivery waste affect your health?

• Disposable products increasingly represent a threat to human health and safety. The plastic concentration at the Yangtze river’s mouth has reached 4,100 particles per cubic metre. Microplastic can absorb other harmful contaminants. Pollutants ingested by fish are making their way back up the food chain and into humans, leading to increased risks of cancer and birth defects.
• Besides, disposing of waste via landfilling is also associated with toxic emissions such as dioxins and furans, which are highly carcinogenic.

TAKE ACTIONS!

To confront plastic pollution and redirect the economy to a sustainable future, we need joint efforts of consumers, restaurants and delivery platforms. We need the efforts from responsible consumers like you. Here are several opportunities to translate your passion into real action.

💙CHANGE CONSUMPTION HABITS💙

Refrain from the food delivery service is not easy, especially when you really rely on them. The best way is bringing your meals by reusable cutlery. We also provide a few tips for people who cannot cook for themselves.

• Reduce frequency of ordering take-out food. Instead, eat in the carteen or restaurant if possible.
• Reuse: If take-out food is unavoidable for you, opt out of single-use cutlery on food delivery apps. Bring reusable cutlery with you.
• Recycle: Clean up food waste and classify the packagings after meals.

💙YOUR FEEDBACK IS HELPFUL💙

There’s a reason businesses say, “The customer is god.” They want to keep you happy! So let them know that avoiding single-use packaging matters to you.

Apps and websites of Meituan, Ele Me and Baidu Takeout allow user to add comment after finishing an order. You can provide feedback in making a comment on the order page either anonymously or in real-name. Here is a statement that you can copy, modify, and post to the platforms:

I am worried about the plastic waste generated in this order. Nearly all of the products are wrapped in non-biodegradable plastics and undemanded disposable dishware is also provided. This aggravates the plastic pollution crisis in the city.

As a responsible consumer, I don’t want to be a part of the problem and I believe that you can play a big part in this much needed change. (1) I want to see single-use plastic packaging being replaced by biodegradable materials but the ultimate goal must be to eliminate single-use packaging; (2) I want to see strategies to reduce unnecessary waste; (3) I want to see alternative delivery systems that truly encourage reuse and refill systems.

The future depends on the choices we make today. I’d be happy to help you move your business in a right direction.

💙CELEBRATE BUSINESSES THAT PERFORM WELL💙

We can celebrate restaurants that perform well in reducing disposable waste. Take a photo of their improved packagings.

Share the photo on social media, use the hashtags #breakupwithfooddeliverywaste and #zerowaste. As well as using the hashtags of your city, make sure that other customer can support those restaurants that prioritize the health of both people and the planet.

💙MAKE WIDER INFLUENCE💙

Getting more people involved in action can make a bigger difference.

Here are several memes that you can share on social media or with your friends and family. You can also create your own meme by adding images on the meme template.

Also share your own experiences, opinions and tips in this website or on social media! You can make great change!