Disposable Food Packaging: Conserving Taste or Making Waste?

By Jennifer Schug

Dr. Bakari

AP Environmental Science

June 14, 2019

 Table of Contents

Part I: Introduction and History - Page 3

Part II: Opposing Views - Page 4

Part III: Causes and Consequences of Disposable Food Waste - Page 5

Part IV: Proposed Solutions - Page 9

 Part I: Introduction and History

The renowned chef, author, and television personality James Beard once stated, “Food is

our common ground, a universal experience.” Whether it be in a dining room with family on

Thanksgiving, or in a fast food restaurant with friends on a Friday night, humans have commonly

used food to connect with others. Food may be essential for our survival, but it has also been an

outlet for expressing creativity while cooking, forming bonds with others about a meal, or simply

enjoying one’s food after a tiring day. However, I believe humans have taken our love for food

too far; the methods we use to package, market, and ship food has become detrimental to the

environment. Our use of disposable food packaging has increased immensely over the past few

decades, and this has impacted the world’s water, land, and air supply. Consumers should be

more cautious of the environmental effects of food packaging when purchasing food, and food

producers should alter their manufacturing and production methods to limit pollution and natural

resource use.

Being one of the most common materials used to package and store food, plastic food

packaging has boomed in popularity since its origins dating back to the 19th century. Plastic was

first created in 1862 by Alexander Parks in London, England. However, the composition of

plastic has changed drastically since its origin in 1862; Parks originally derived the material from

cellulose. In the early 1900s, the Swiss engineer Dr. Jaque Edwin Brandenberger invented

Cellophane, yet another monumental moment in plastic’s history. Cellophane was a clear plastic

wrap that was thin and impermeable. These qualities caused Cellophane to be integrated into

people’s lives in the following decades and become utilized as an attractive food packaging. The

next landmark in plastic inventions occured in 1946, when Earl Silas Tupper invented
Tupperware. Still widely used today, Tupperware is found in lunchboxes, cabinets, and

refrigerators to store food. In 2000, polylactic acid, or PLA, was widely used as a biobased

plastic. It is derived from biomass and is the second most widely used bioplastic in the world.

As disposable food packaging becomes more widely used, governments and

organizations are starting to recognize the importance of setting regulations and laws on food

packaging production and marketing. For instance, in the United States, the Federal Trade

Commission (FTC) has published a set of guides (“Green Guides”) that explain the terms and

phrases companies are permitted to use when claiming to be “green”. (Some of these include:

compostable, ozone-safe, renewable, recyclable, and refillable.) The guides attempt to govern

any types of environmental marketing, advertising, promoting, and labeling. They also help

prevent consumers from receiving faulty advertising, thereby reducing the negative impacts of

food packaging by allowing consumers to make more informed choices. On a smaller scale,

individual state governments have decided to set their own regulations for disposable food

packaging labels. California, for example, has prohibited labeling plastic bags as biodegradable

or decomposable to make consumers more aware of the true environmental impacts of plastic

bags.

Part II: Opposing Views

Despite the negative consequences of using disposable food packaging, there are benefits

to these packaging methods for consumers, producers, and manufacturers. Used for anything

from microwave meals to frozen dessert wrappers, plastic packaging provides many advantages

in cost, shelf life, and shipping. It can be easily customized to match the desired style and shape
of the manufacturer. This allows for an improved aesthetic appeal of the product, as well as an

opportunity for extended marketing. Plastic is also durable; it can survive extreme temperatures

and environments. Its longer shelf life helps keep food fresh for longer durations. For food

manufacturers, the long shelf life, combined with the high-cost effectiveness for plastic

packaging, creates a high profit margin for using plastic packaging.

Polystyrene packaging, commonly known as styrofoam, is yet another disposable

packaging material that has its advantages. It is used in the food packaging industry for butcher

meats, vegetables, and fast foods. In addition, styrofoam cups, bowls, and plates are often used in

hospitals, since disposable polystyrene packaging is more hygienic than reusable containers.

Similar to plastic packaging, styrofoam is extremely durable. Because of its high humidity

resistance and ability to retain its shape under heat, it is commonly used to store hot beverages. It

doesn’t crack or break when dropped, and it can be stored in cold temperatures and transported.

Below: Styrofoam fills up a landfill: it has a low mass compared to its volume.

Part III: Causes and Consequences of Disposable Food Waste

 Despite the benefits of using disposable food packaging, the amount of food packaging

we use grows at a rate devastating to the environment. The number, in thousands of tons of

plastic generated each year in the US has increased from 120 in 1960 to 14,680 in 2015. In

addition, 31% of municipal solid waste is from packaging related materials in 2005. Food

packaging makes up almost two-thirds of this number by volume, and more than 300 million

tons of plastic are presently produced each year. In fact, the amount of plastic produced in the

past decade is greater than the amount produced in the past century. This is due to the increase in

the use of disposable plastic packaging used for food, as well as for cosmetics and beverages.

Food packaging is required because it maintains the safety and quality of food over a specified

duration; disposable food packaging, in particular, excels at these requirements.

Below: The graph shows the composition of waste in the Garbage Patch, an area of the

North Pacific Ocean with a concentrated amount of waste.

However, there are many unfortunate consequences that come with using an excess

amount of disposable food packaging. Specifically, plastic harms marine life in several ways, as
its chemical makeup allows floating plastic to survive thousands of years in sea water. Not only

does it serve as a toxin for marine animals, but it can also transport invasive species into marine

habitats by acting as a floating device. The plastic used for food packaging can contain toxic

chemicals; while these levels may be low, constant exposure to these plastics can result in unsafe

levels of these chemicals in consumers. Phthalates, for instance are plasticizers commonly found

in plastic packaging to increase its durability and flexibility. While they appear to be a beneficial

addition to the packaging, they are poisonous to the human body. Unfortunately, because of the

inevitable exposure to these materials, 80% of infants, and almost all adults, have traces of

phthalates in their bodies.

Below: The percent of plastic bags that go to each location: most end up in landfills.

Yet another common food packaging material with devastating environmental effects,

styrofoam causes massive destruction to Earth’s natural resources and ecosystems in multiple,

significant ways. Polystyrene is produced from nonrenewable resources, either natural gas or

petroleum. As these resources are rapidly depleted for a wide variety of uses, polystyrene is
becoming less and less sustainable. Similar to plastic, it is non biodegradable and can take

thousands of years to decompose completely. Its light density allows the styrofoam in landfills to

be carried to nearby streets and bodies of water by the wind; it causes styrofoam to take up an

immense volume of landfill space, too. Furthermore, ingesting polystyrene is detrimental to both

human and marine life. A compound in polystyrene has been declared as a possible human

carcinogen by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). And when larger fish eat prey who

have ingested the material, they are subject to being poisoned from the biomagnification of the

polystyrene.

In the future, the buildup of pollutants in landfills is only expected to increase, as

consumers buy more packaged food and dispose of the waste after consumption. As previously

mentioned, this accumulation of materials will pollute the oceans, cause health problems for

humans, and deplete natural, non-renewable resources.

Below: The map displays the landfills in the United States, with the red areas being the

largest.
 Part IV: Proposed Solutions

The EPA states that source reduction, or modifying the manufacturing or packaging of

materials, the best way to reduce packaging waste. Suggested ways to achieve source reduction

for consumers include using refillable containers and buying in bulk (to reduce the overall

quantity of packaging needed). Ways to achieve source reduction for manufacturers include

lightweighting (using less layers of packaging)

For companies, it is suggested that they design alternative ways of packaging to reduce

materials that typically pollute the environment. For example, The company Loliware created

edible straws created from seaweed that can be eaten, as opposed to traditional straws and cups,

which the US throws 25 billion of each year.

Below: Along with creating edible straws, Loliware invented edible cups, created from

seaweed.

Other alternative types of packaging include biodegradable plastics, which can be

produced using renewable materials, such as plants. While there are currently biodegradable
plastics being produced, the number is small, making up only 0.2% of petrochemical-based

plastic. There is additional concern involving the degradation of these plastics; currently,

scientists are worried that the oil-based polymers found in these plastics could prevent them from

completely breaking down in the environment. To make this solution truly attainable, more

research would need to be conducted on using a practice called green chemistry to research and

engineer similar alternatives.

One way to encourage consumers to use more sustainable food packaging would be to

raise awareness about the environmental effects of food packaging. If consumers were more

aware of the environmental effects of what they’re buying, they can become empowered to make

more environmentally conscious choices. The scientific journal, Philosophical Transactions of

The Royal Science B, proposed a simple way of allowing consumers to make quick choices on

which packaged products to buy. It suggested that each package be marked with a dot, whose

color would indicate the environmental impact of the packaging’s material, manufacturing

process, and ability to be recycled. A green dot would mark a package that is easily recycled, is

produced from recycled materials, etc. A red dot, however, would mark a package that has an

excessive amount of new materials. With all these potential solutions, there is hope for the future

that the Earth can be saved from the harmful effects of disposable food packaging.
 Works Cited

“Containers and Packaging: Product-Specific Data.” EPA, United States Environmental

Protection Agency, 7 May 2019,

www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/containers-and-packaging-

product-specific-data​.

Marsh, Kenneth. “Food Packaging and Its Environmental Impact.” Food Packaging and Its

Environmental Impact - IFT.org, Institute of Food Technologies,

www.ift.org/Knowledge-Center/Read-IFT-Publications/Science-Reports/Scientific-Status-Summ

aries/Editorial/Food-Packaging-and-Its-Environmental-Impact.aspx​.

Article. “Plastic Packaging History: Innovations Through the Decades.” Plastics Make It

Possible, American Chemistry Council, 5 Jan. 2018,

www.plasticsmakeitpossible.com/about-plastics/history-of-plastics/plastic-innovations-in-packag

ing-through-the-decades/​.

McElwain, Aoife. “The Long History of Food Packaging, and Why We Have Become so

Attached to It.” The Irish Times, The Irish Times, 1 Apr. 2016,

www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/the-long-history-of-food-packaging-and-why-

we-have-become-so-attached-to-it-1.2593524​.

“8 Advantages of Using Plastic Packaging Bags for Food Packaging.” XL Plastics, 25 Jan. 2019,

www.xlplastics.com/8-advantages-using-plastic-packaging-bags-food-packaging/​.

“Polystyrene Food Packaging And General Purpose Polystyrene Benefits To The Consumer.”

Polystyrene Packaging Council,

www.polystyrenepackaging.co.za/et6-polystyrene-food-packaging.htm​.
Fischer, Douglas. “The Environmental Toll of Plastics.” Environmental Health News,

Environmental Health News, 11 Apr. 2019,

www.ehn.org/plastic-environmental-impact-2501923191.html​.

Rubio, Michelle Rose. “Dealing with Polystyrene Wastes.” EcoMENA, 6 Sept. 2018,

www.ecomena.org/polystyrene-wastes/​.

Misko, George G. “Global Regulatory Considerations for Green Packaging.” Food Safety

Magazine,

www.foodsafetymagazine.com/magazine-archive1/aprilmay-2013/global-regulatory-consideratio

ns-for-green-packaging/​.
Website **Include how to get people to go to the website as part of action plan*

❖ Home page

❖ About the problem

➢ Page with link to research paper

➢ How much trash is produced through food waste

❖ Changing diet

➢ What stores to avoid - statistics on that

➢ Where to buy - what to look for

➢ recipes/what foods to eat

❖ Buying products

➢ Reusable products

➢ Biodegradable napkins/paper plates

❖ Pictures:

➢ https://www.joyusgarden.com/tips-on-organic-vegetable-gardening/​ - plants