A WMCA funded feasibility study exploring ways to reduce waste from food takeaway packaging
Author: Sustainability West Midlands
Single use food takeaway packaging is a significant environmental problem; in terms of embodied carbon emissions, resource use, and microplastic pollution from waste. Reusable food takeaway packaging could be a potential solution to this problem and could represent an opportunity for innovation and economic growth.
The West Midlands Innovation Programme funded a feasibility study, carried out by SWM, to explore the barriers and drivers to the adoption and retention of reusable food takeaway packaging schemes, and to make recommendations as to the design of a potential pilot scheme. A high-level literature review was carried out and supported with a questionnaire survey of food outlets located in South Birmingham, and interviews from an existing reusable drink takeaway packaging scheme in the city.
The study finds that the introduction of a reusable takeaway packaging scheme requires a reconfiguration of the system of non-home-cooked food provision in its entirety. This will necessitate a number of different interventions to put reusable packaging collection infrastructure in place, make the scheme appear ubiquitous and the standard choice, and change the behaviour of both food consumers and producers. It is recommended that a pilot be designed to trial a scheme.
The Feasibility Study is available to read in full here.
