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Ban on single-use plastics to challenge online food companies, customers
The ban, which becomes effective in July, may spell change in the behavior of both consumers and providers in Jakarta's food delivery industry.
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A stock image illustrates delivery services. Ordering food delivery has become an inseparable part of the Jakarta lifestyle. (JP/Anggara Mahendra)
L
ina Pei, 32, a housewife in Kemang, South Jakarta, said that she often felt guilty about the plastic utensils that came with the food she ordered through a delivery service – even though she ordered only on rainy days or public holidays when many nearby food outlets were closed.
“I get annoyed when I see friends and family ordering food from several locations at once, which makes for lots of plastic waste, not to mention that restaurants sometimes [double] the bag and add disposable cutlery,” she told The Jakarta Post recently.
It seems that convenience has won over principle. While people often feel guilty over the excessive use of plastic bags, online food deliveries have become a big part of Jakartans' quick-and-easy urban lifestyle.
But nothing comes for free, and in the case of food deliveries, the cost is environmental.
Although a ban on single-use plastics will soon be imposed – and optimistically be a game-changer in shifting the trend toward eco-friendly packaging – the regulation will not affect the food delivery business, as it does not ban single-use plastics for non-packaged foods.
“[That] should not be an excuse for not reducing plastics in food packaging, because we can still use containers on many occasions. When the rule takes effect, we should be challenged to change our behavior as well,” said 27-year-old civil servant Rafa Saputra.
Rafa said that since food was a daily need, consumers and businesspeople could make a huge difference if they came together to reduce plastic packaging in support of the efforts to build an environmentally friendly culture.
