Consumable Waste 

How much of these foods come in different types of packaging? What kind of packaging materials are usually used (Styrofoam, cardboard, plastic, bags, boxes, etc.)?

I think that all of the food that we consume comes in some kind of packaging. When all food is shipped it comes in a shipping package.  Most things that I consume come in cardboard, plastic, tin, or aluminum foil lined plastic. For example, bananas come shipped in a cardboard box. Bananas do not have a package in the grocery store. The person buying the bananas makes the choice of putting the bananas in a plastic bag, reusable bag, or no bag at all.  Many foods come wrapped in a primary package and then have a secondary package protecting them or holding the multiple items together. For example, a granola bar has a primary package that holds the individual granola bar. The secondary box holds 6 granola bars. The secondary boxes are put into a larger shipping box. The shipping box is put on a wooden platform with a bunch of shipping boxes. The shipping boxes are wrapped with a plastic shrink wrap to keep them together.

Why do you think that all of these materials were chosen specifically for the products purchased?

These materials are chosen to protect the food and give them a longer shelf life.  The packaging protects the food from being dropped, crushed, or vibrated when transported. It protects the food from the environment. Environment effects are changing temperatures, humidity, and light. Packaging also protects the food from bugs, chemicals, and toxins. Packaging can protect the food from premature spoilage. Picking the right packaging also helps prevent theft and someone altering your product without you knowing. It is good to pick packaging that is easy for the consumer to use.

How is packaging both positive and negative for the consumer (the person using it)?

Packaging is positive because it helps keep the food fresher and protects against bacteria and food poisoning. Food is exposed to contaminants in the air and handling. Different kinds of packaging help make the food shelf life longer. Packaging is negative because it uses lots of materials and creates lots of waste. Packaging increases our carbon foot-print. Packaging makes the cost of the food more expensive, it takes up more room, and you need more trucks and gas to transport the food.

What happens to these packaging materials once we have eaten the food inside? Where is the packaging waste after one day? One year? One hundred years?

The packaging materials are recycled, reused, thrown in the garbage, or littered.  The garbage effects earth because different gases are released when the items are being broken down in the land fill. Packaging materials such as plastic, paper, tin, and glass take hundreds of years to decompose. Some items do not decompose at all. Some packaging pollutes the rivers and oceans.

What happens to the food waste?

Food waste is either put into the garbage or the green waste.  If it is put in the garbage it ends up in the land fill.  If it is put in the green waste it ends up being used as compost.  When food is broken down in the landfill it creates a powerful greenhouse gas called methane. When food is wasted all of the resources used to make it is wasted.

Provide 3-4 suggestions for ways that consumers can decrease the amount of waste we create.

When shopping, bring reusable bags to take your groceries home in.  You can use refillable water bottles or reusable containers. When you go shopping have a plan and only buy the necessities so that you are not throwing out food. You can also reuse some of the packaging materials.