In the third instalment of our four-part series on environmental consciousness, we explore the hidden consequences of how food waste is packaged and discarded. While food wastage garners increasing attention, less is said about the plastics that often accompany it — and how they silently contribute to long-term environmental damage. From microplastics to methane emissions, what we throw away, and how we do it, matters more than we think.
Double Burden of Waste Food, Plastic, Environment
There is a domino effect for every decision and choice made. When it comes to food wastage, the issue goes beyond simply wasting food — it includes how the waste ends up in landfills. The way food waste is packaged also contributes to environmental harm. In discussing the role of plastic in food wastage, UNIMAS’s Dr Haslina Hashim from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, and Ts. Dr Hashimatul Fatma Hashim from the Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, share their insights on the matter.
Plastic — while known for its convenience and durability — is also notoriously harmful to the environment, as it decomposes very slowly in landfills. Referencing studies on plastics, the two academics highlight that plastic takes up to 500 years to decompose due to its petroleum-based composition. In landfills, it can release methane gas when exposed to sunlight, which contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.
“Maybe we don’t see it on the roadside, but if you go to a landfill, there is a lot of plastic waste that has always been there. Gradually, it finds its way into the ocean; that is why in some parts of the world, plastic has become a huge problem for marine environments. A study even predicts that, eventually, plastic will outweigh sea creatures in the ocean,” said Dr Haslina.
Choose your plastic wisely
The types of plastic used to package food waste are also important too. Food waste is already harmful to the environment, but storing it in non-compostable plastics is like adding more salt to the wound.
According to Ts. Dr Hashimatul, poor preservation, transportation, and storage are major contributors to food waste. “Most modern packaging is made from petroleum-based plastics, which would remain in the environment for hundreds of years,” she explained.
When food waste is trapped in single-use plastic that ends up in a landfill, the environmental damage intensifies. Decomposition slows down due to the lack of oxygen. “Without oxygen, anaerobic biodegradation will break down plastic waste, producing methane as a by-product,” Ts. Dr Hashimatul added.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas — more than 25 times as effective as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Furthermore, as single-use plastics decompose poorly, the fragments turn into microplastics, which enter the soil and water, affecting wildlife, aquatic life, and potentially human health.
“When oxygen is present, plastic breaks down through aerobic biodegradation. Microbes decompose the plastic using oxygen, producing smaller organic molecules, carbon dioxide, and water.”
When food waste and petroleum-based plastics mix with rainwater and other waste, the resulting leachate can seep into the ground. If unmanaged, this toxicity pollutes the soil and surrounding ecosystems.
This is why bioplastics, which are biodegradable and compostable, present a promising alternative to reduce packaging waste’s environmental impact, Ts. Dr Hashimatul revealed.
“Recycling agricultural by-products into bioplastics and eco-friendly packaging helps reduce environmental harm and promotes a circular economy. Natural materials like starch, cellulose, proteins, gelatin, shrimp shells, feathers, polylactic acid (PLA), or polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) are used as eco-friendly alternatives. These materials are engineered to decompose in specific composting conditions, minimising their environmental impact,” she shared.
Most biodegradable plastics decompose within 12 to 24 weeks — far quicker than traditional plastics, which can take centuries. According to the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) lecturer, industrial composting facilities can break down certain biodegradable plastics, such as PLA, entirely within six months.
Thanks to their rapid breakdown, biodegradable plastics are less likely to be ingested by or entangle wildlife and marine life. Their use will also reduce microplastics, thus reducing the negative impact on ecosystems and human health.
The latest innovation is edible packaging, which provides an eco-friendly alternative to traditional materials. These edible films are hyper-compostable and decompose quickly with minimal residue, Ts. Dr Hashimatul noted.
“Edible packaging offers a promising zero-waste solution to reducing food waste. Biodegradable films enhanced with natural antimicrobials can extend the shelf life of foods like fruit, cheese, baked goods, and leafy greens by up to 40 per cent compared to petroleum-based plastic packaging,” she added.
Societal norms around single-use plastic
Although the environmental damage of single-use plastic is widely known, it remains a habit that is hard to break, according to Dr Haslina. Citing the theory of planned behaviour, she said the persistence of plastic use is influenced by three key factors: policy or governance, societal norms, and personal intention.
“We don’t have strong policies against single-use plastic, so people continue to see it as convenient. For example, a convenience shop may charge 20 cents for each plastic bag — most people are willing to pay that instead of bringing their own reusable bags. It’s cheap, convenient, and affordable,” she explained.
She also opined that when society is offered easy access to single-use plastic — be it bags or takeaway containers — there is no incentive to change their habits. “It has become a normal thing. That’s why it’s so hard to break the habit,” she said.
Convenience also contributes indirectly to food waste. Plastic packaging prolongs shelf life, which leads to overbuying. “People often buy more than they need. It’s important to understand the difference between ‘best before’ and ‘use by’ dates, which many people confuse,” she warned.
“People tend to discard food based on a general expiry date, without reading the actual label carefully. As a result, more food ends up being wasted and sent to landfill,” she added.
Dr Haslina also discussed the habit of overbuying food at bazaars, which often leads to waste. When the food is not consumed immediately, it may go stale or spoil. She noted that the use of single-use plastic by vendors obscures the actual portion size, encouraging excess purchases.
“But when you bring your own containers, you become more mindful of what you buy because you’re limited by space. One container for kuih, another for chicken rice, and perhaps two or three more — you become selective. It forces you to plan what you want to eat and avoid excess. Over time, this helps regulate consumption and purchasing behaviour,” said the Social Science professor.
The power of consumer choices
Ultimately, the responsibility lies with consumers. Whether it’s avoiding food wastage, choosing bioplastics, or separating waste properly, responsible disposal practices can reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
“The plastic pollution crisis can’t be solved solely by using biodegradable materials. Just because something is biodegradable doesn’t mean it can be discarded anywhere. Biodegradable plastic is not a one-size-fits-all solution to the complex issue of plastic pollution,” said Dr Hashimatul.
She emphasised that while recycling and biodegradable alternatives are helpful, their effectiveness is limited when waste streams are not properly separated.
Meanwhile, Dr Haslina adopts a creative solution: packing single-use plastic into 1.5-litre water bottles to create eco-bricks. “Each eco-brick contains between 0.5 to 0.7 kilogrammes of plastic — that’s around 70 to 80 pieces per bottle. These bricks can be used to make stools,” she shared.
As consumers, one of the most powerful things we can do for the environment is to stay informed and make conscious choices to protect and preserve the planet.
