Pandemic food delivery boom creating vast amounts of plastic waste in China

Food delivery services are booming in China as people avoid going out to restaurants and to shop for food during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many people are relying on platforms like Meituan or Ele.me to deliver meals to their workplaces or homes. But the food delivery business had already been booming before the outbreak, and in the process creating vast amounts of discarded plastic containers and wrapping materials. The unwanted side effect of the food delivery boom is undercutting China’s recent efforts to reduce such waste.