Breaking Down Meal Kit Boxes: How We Have Lost Control As A Society
Breaking down boxes has become a normal part of everyday life, but are we breaking down as a society because of it?
Between 2008 and 2018, Ontarians increased the amount of waste sent to the landfill per year by 23%, sending a record amount of over 10 million tonnes of waste to landfill disposal in the year 2018.
The pandemic has been a major factor in an uptick of waste, especially due to increased use of online ordering services like Amazon, with data from the City of Toronto suggesting consumers started throwing more cardboard boxes into their blue bins.
Not only are more than two billion metric tons of municipal solid waste generated worldwide every year, this figure is expected to increase by roughly 70% by 2050. As of 2019, Canada was the leading waste producing country worldwide, generating 36.1 metric tons of waste per capita.
Estimated annual waste per capita of the leading waste producing countries worldwide as of 2019
Terms that show abundance of waste is the new normal
Sacrifice zones: Places that have been “sacrificed” to the “take, make, waste” economy built on the exploitation of natural, human and social capital.
Planned obsolescence: Items deliberately made with shorter lifespans forcing you to upgrade.
Almost one full truck of plastic is tossed into the sea every minute, only about 10% of the waste we produce is suitable for recycling. The best solution for this would be moving to a less resource-intensive economy.
3 components of a less resource-intensive economy
Consumes less packaging material
Produces long-lasting products
Conscious of the finite resources we have on the planet
If you are looking to move away from meal kits and find a more sustainable option, consider exploring Easy Platter’s solution for eating better.