PLASTIC WASTE GENERATED BY FOOD PACKAGING INDUSTRY !!!!!!!!!!!!

Plastic is a more destructive weapon than a nuclear bomb or an atom bomb; its impact shall remain for centuries on the future generation."

Synopsis: Almost all food that we buy, especially processed food, comes packaged. Whether it comes from a grocery store or market, a takeaway or fast-food restaurant, an online meal delivery service, or perhaps even the farmers’ market, it is hard to find food that isn’t artificially encased.

THE IMPACTS OF FOOD PACKAGING ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Unfortunately, most packaging is designed for single use and is typically thrown away rather than reused or recycled. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), food and food packaging materials make up almost half of all municipal solid waste. In 2014, out of the 258 million tonnes of municipal solid waste generated in the US, more than 63 per cent was packaging materials (for food and other purposes), and, overall, only 35 per cent (89 million tonnes) was recycled or composted.

1. WATER AND LAND POLLUTION BY THE FOOD PACKAGING INDUSTRY: After it is used, most packaging is discarded and is either buried in a landfill or becomes litter that is carried along by wind and water currents into the environment. Packaging sent to landfills, especially when made from plastic, does not degrade quickly or, in some cases, at all, and chemicals from the packaging materials, including inks and dyes from labelling, can leach into groundwater and soil.
   

2. THE IMPACTS OF FOOD PACKAGING ON BIRDS AND MARINE MAMMALS: All the plastic floating around the oceans is incredibly harmful to animals. Stories abound of dead birds found with stomachs full of plastic, turtles with straws stuck in their noses, whales with plastic bags in their stomachs, and animals with plastic bags and six-pack rings wrapped around their bodies. 
   

3. AIR POLLUTION BY THE FOOD PACKAGING INDUSTRY: Food packaging waste that isn’t recycled or composted is typically landfilled or incinerated. While both options have benefits for waste management, they both produce air emissions, including greenhouse gases. Landfills emit ammonia and hydrogen sulphide, and incinerators can emit mercury, lead, hydrogen chloride, sulphur dioxide, nitrous oxide, and particulates.
   

4. IMPACTS ON HUMAN HEALTH: Experts know that the chemical components in plastic packaging materials can leach into our food. One of the most widely-known examples is the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone-disrupting plasticizer often used to line canned foods.

ACTIONS TO REDUCE PACKAGING INDUSTRY:

1. Eliminate the need for packaging.

2. Carry reusable shopping bags. Avoid plastic bags as much as possible.

3. Carry reusable, stainless steel coffee mugs and water bottles (and read more about the impact of disposable coffee cups here). Use stainless steel straws (or go strawless!) for beverages instead of plastic straws.

4. Help enact bag bans where you live.

5. Buy and Eat Fewer Packaged Foods.