Impact of COVID-19 on Food and Plastic Waste Generated by Consumers in Bangkok

Abstract

The crisis ignited by COVID-19 has transformed the volume and composition of waste generation and requires a dynamic response from policy makers. This study selected Bangkok as a case study to semi-quantitatively examine the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on consumer-generated food and plastic waste by examining changes in lifestyles and consumption behaviour through a face-to-face questionnaire survey. Travel bans and diminished economic activity due to COVID-19 have led to a dramatic reduction in waste from the business sector and in the total amount of municipal waste generated. However, the results of the survey showed that both food and plastic waste generated by households in Bangkok increased during COVID-19. The shift from eating out to online food delivery services led to an increase in plastic bags, hot-and-cold food bags, plastic food containers, and food waste. Reasons for the increase in household food waste during COVID-19 varied, with respondents citing excessive amounts of food and unappetising taste, followed by exceeding the expiration date and rotting/foul odours. These reasons may be the result of the inability to predict quantity and quality when ordering online, and inadequate food planning and management by consumers. To achieve more effective food and plastic waste management, home delivery services, consumer food planning and management, and the formation of a circular economy based on localised supply chains may be considered as important intervention points.

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on household food waste behaviour: A systematic review

“…Studies on the impact of COVID-19 on household food waste have also reported contradictory results. Although Amicarelli and Bux (2021) and Burlea-Schiopoiu et al (2021) reported reductions in household food waste during COVID-19 in Italy and Romania, Berjan et al (2021) and Liu et al (2021) reported higher amounts of food waste in Serbia and Thailand. The impacts of COVID-19 on the amount of food wasted depends on various socio-demographic (e.g., household size and the number of children), socio-economic (e.g., income loss, governmental restrictions), behavioural (e.g., developing cooking skills, better meal planning, more efficient stocking), psychological (e.g., depression, fear, stress), situational (e.g., individuals’ available time), and cultural (e.g., eating at a restaurant) factors ( Everitt et al, 2021 ; Özbük et al, 2021 ; Qian et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Studies conducted in Italy, Russia, the US, Bosnia, Romania, Spain, Canada, Germany, Turkey, Lebanon, Mexico, Japan, Qatar, Tunisia, and Portugal all reported less food waste (e.g., Babbitt et al, 2021 ; Profeta et al, 2021 ; Vittuari et al, 2021 ). However, studies conducted in Thailand ( Liu et al, 2021 ), Serbia ( Berjan et al, 2021 ), and the UK ( Filimonau et al, 2021 ), and one international study in 23 countries ( Filho et al, 2021 ) found an increase in food waste. Most of these studies relied on self-reported food waste ( Table 3 ), which is subject to bias, so their results should be interpreted with caution.…”

“… Bender et al (2021) ; Berjan et al (2021) ; Kubíčková et al (2021) ; Laila et al (2021) ; Liu et al (2021) ; Scacchi et al (2021) ; Scharadin et al (2021) ; Vidal-Mones et al (2021) ; Vittuari et al (2021) Meal Planning Meal planning reduces food waste Babbitt et al (2021) ; Laila et al (2021) ; Principato et al (2020) Food Shopping Planning Less shipping frequency triggers shopping planning Better food shopping plan Preparing shopping list Amicarelli and Bux (2021) ; Hassen et al (2021b) ; Jribi et al (2020) ; Laila et al (2021) ; Liu et al (2021) ; Pires et al (2021) ; Principato et al (2020) ; Vittuari et al (2021) Stockpiling Better in house food storage Storing more food may lead to higher waste Buying not-intended food can increase food waste. More stockpiling gives a sense of stability and predictability during uncertain times Purchasing more non-perishable food Babbitt et al (2021) ; Hassen, El Bilali, Allahyari, and Charbel (2021) ; Bender et al (2021) ; Berjan et al (2021) ; Cosgrove et al (2021) ; Hassen, El Bilali, Allahyari, and Charbel (2021) ; Laila et al (2021) ; Liu et al (2021b) ; Pappalardo et al (2020) ; Roe et al (2021) ; Scacchi et al (2021) ; Schmitt et al (2021) ; …”

“… Lahath et al (2021) ; Laila et al (2021) ; Filho et al (2021); Roe et al (2021) ; Scacchi et al (2021) ; Vidal-Mones et al (2021) Social Media Usage Purchase exotic food influenced by social media Exposure to food-related content motivates to purchase and consume more food Food-related pages on social media can develop cooking skills. Lahath et al (2021) ; Liu et al (2021) Sustainability Awareness Higher awareness of the environmental consequences of food waste Higher awareness of the ethics of food waste. High sustainability awareness Leads to responsible behaviour Less food wastage Burlea-Schiopoiu et al (2021) , Pappalardo et al (2020) , Pires et al (2021) , Vittuari et al (2021) , Brzustewicz and Singh (2021) More Dieting More time to take diet.…”

“…However, online shopping may enhance food waste due to ordering food that seems desirable on online platforms but is not liked on delivery and is consequently wasted. Using food delivery services instead of developing cooking skills and cooking more at home caused the increase in household food waste in Thailand ( Liu et al, 2021 ). The respondents in Thailand indicated that purchasing ready-made meals online and using food delivery services were the main reasons for their increase in food wastage.…”