Single-use plastic in the pandemic: how to stay safe and sustainable

Apr 29, 2020

Owner Christian Steindl checks plastic boxes with food inside Restaurant-Bar Steindl in Vienna, Austria March 23, 2020. Restaurant Steindl started to offer food for take-away and delivers to the neighborhood with daily changing menus since the government closed restaurants and bars due to the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Austria. Picture taken March 23, 2020. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner - RC2IQF9ZF3R8

Stocking up on provisions during lockdown has forced many people to choose food packaged in unsustainable materials like plastic. Image: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

Daiane Scaraboto

Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Melbourne

Alison M Joubert

Lecturer in Marketing, The University of Queensland

Claudia Gonzalez-Arcos

Lecturer in Marketing, The University of Queensland

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The coronavirus crisis has pushed the global problem of plastic waste into the background. Image: Ammar Awad/Reuters

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Many cafes will not accept reusable cups during the health crisis. Image: The Conversation

Plastic bag use is surging during the pandemic. Image: TASS/ Sipa USA

Once consumers go back to using plastic bags, it will take time to break the habit again. Image: Darren England/AAP

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