OVER the past few years, Australians have embraced online food delivery services such as UberEats, Deliveroo and Menulog. But home-delivered food comes with a climate cost, and single-use packaging is one of the biggest contributors.
Our research found Australians placed 27 million online food orders in 2018. By 2024, this number is projected to increase to 65 million.
The increasing use of take-away food packaging associated with online meal deliveries is making the food sector’s already massive carbon footprint even larger. Of the five cuisines we examined, packaging from burger meals was responsible for the most emissions, followed by Thai meals.
Last year, lockdowns related to COVID-19 led to a 20% increase in household solid wastes due in part to increased food deliveries. The climate crisis and problems facing Australia’s waste management sector mean we must urgently reduce waste from meals ordered online.
A growing problem
Technology, income and lifestyle
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