Plastic packaging has been in circulation for decades, but the environmental effects of wide-spread plastic usage are starting to take their toll on the planet. 

There’s no denying that plastic packaging has proven useful to many businesses and consumers alike, but it comes with an unignorable environmental cost, as well as many other disadvantages that far outweigh its benefits.

Plastic packaging comes laden with drawbacks that have a direct impact on the environment and our personal wellbeing.

Littering is still a prevalent issue, even though greater penalties have been put in place in recent years to curb the nationwide problem. Fast-food packaging makes up about one-third of all the most commonly littered items, and since a proportion of that litter is non-biodegradable, it lies strewn across our public spaces for years.

While food vendors aren’t primarily at fault, they also have the unique opportunity to reduce the impact of littering by switching to biodegradable packaging. This kind of eco-friendly packaging material degrades naturally and at a much faster rate than plastic or polystyrene packaging, meaning that the adverse effects of littering would be much less harmful to the local environment.

It can take centuries for plastics to fully decompose. That means that the plastic we use today to protect our food and package our takeaways will likely be around for generations after it has served its limited purpose. Worryingly, single-use plastics make up around 40% of all the plastic waste produced year-on-year, which are predominantly plastic containers, cups and cutlery.

Environmentally safe alternatives — like biodegradable paper cups and sustainable food containers — have seen a surge in popularity due to their eco-friendly characteristics, providing consumers and businesses with a greener option for their takeaway packaging.

You’re probably asking yourself, “how can we reduce the impact of excess food packaging on the environment?”. The good news is that you can do a few things to prevent further plastic pollution as a consumer and as a business.

Recycling plastics and avoiding plastic-wrapped products is a good start, but why not opt for more eco-friendly alternatives? The remarkable properties of biodegradable and compostable materials — like those used make our takeaway packaging — make them perfect for food and drinks products. Even if they are spoilt and can’t be recycled, they still won’t have such a damaging effect on the environment. From coffee cups to bags and carriers, you can ditch the plastic and start saving the planet one piece of packaging at a time.