Single-Use Plastics Designed to Reduce Food Waste Are Harming the Planet

According to the Waste and Resources Action Program, an estimated 4.7 million tonnes of food waste is produced by UK households each year.

However, the single-use plastic packaging used to reduce food waste poses a more insidious problem. Once discarded, the single-use plastics that cushion, seal, protect and extend the shelf life of our groceries can linger in landfills, beneath the ground, in rivers and on the seabed for centuries.

Mounting plastic waste could disrupt ecosystems, negatively affect food security by declining animal health, and cause health issues in people.