Environmental and Social impact of takeaway food waste

Abstract

More than 3 billion plastic bags are consumed every day in China, posing a huge challenge for solid waste management. And scientists estimate that online food delivery businesses in China generated 1.6 million tons of packaging waste in 2017, nine times more than two years ago. This includes 1.2 million tons of plastic boxes, 175,000 tons of disposable chopsticks, 164,000 tons of plastic bags, and 44,000 tons of plastic spoons(Raymond Zhong & Carolyn Zhang, 2019) Despite the Chinese government's implementation of a "plastic ban" in 2008 and the issuance of guidelines by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in early 2020 to further strengthen plastic pollution control (also known as the new "plastic ban"), many people still use plastic bags in their daily lives, especially for takeaway food.
The take-away industry in China has grown rapidly in recent years, but related take-away waste recycling measures are inadequate, so understanding the implementation of government policies and people's behavior regarding the use of such materials is key to reducing take-away waste. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the socio-demographic, economic, housing, social participation, and environmental perception factors that influence households' use of single-use plastic bags or reusable items when ordering takeaway food, as well as changes in government policies for the recycling and disposal of take-away waste.
The study found that take-out waste includes not only plastic packaging but also food residue, which indirectly increases the difficulty of recycling. So this paper focuses on government policies, recycling strategies and public feedback, and based on these results, implications for policymakers and suggestions for further future study are offered.