3 ms·
Sad reality of our times. We're eating out less but our plastic household waste/recycling has more than doubled due to all the plastic we get through food deli
by tedk-42 6y ago
Sad reality of our times.
We're eating out less but our plastic household waste/recycling has more than doubled due to all the plastic we get through food deliveries.
The market forces for better recyclable/biodegradable packaging just aren't there as plastic is so cheap to produce.
- umvi 6y agoIt could be worse. At least plastics are relatively inert, unlike other forms of waste.
- thinkingkong 6y agoMy understanding is that the plastic breaks down, is then ingested by small fish, then is concentrated up the food chain. Chemicals that are present or collect in the plastic then accumulate in the fish that we or other wildlife eat. Additionally there are chemicals which affect reproduction in some species (negatively). So. Yeah it could be worse. It still sucks.
- catalogia 6y agoIf you're comparing plastic to the alternatives, for instance plastic bottles vs glass bottles, I think plastic often comes out worse. Glass is more inert, and when thrown into the ocean gets weathered away into sand in fairly short order.
- mindslight 6y agoAdverse situations create more waste in general. Ideally, nurses would be throwing out N95 masks often. But takeout has been extremely wasteful the whole time. If you're just realizing this now, well, good job? Restaurants are incentivized to make you feel like you are "getting your money's worth". The best you can do is pickup food that is wrapped (eg subs or burritos), and push off as much of the accessories as possible. Or obviously reduce, which has always been more important than fauxcycling.