Plastic waste is one of the biggest issues in the world. 350 million tons of plastic are produced worldwide each year. It’s expected that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

We all understand that there is a need to curb plastic consumption but we can’t do it without alternatives. Fortunately, food delivery services around the world are turning to sugarcane, bamboo and other materials to make food packaging 100% compostable.

Last September, Swiggy announced ‘Swiggy Packaging Assist’, an initiative to help restaurants choose more eco-friendly packaging, but it doesn’t go far enough and uptake has been slow. If you order your lunch from Swiggy today, you’re likely to get a plastic tray with plastic lid, plastic-wrapped bread, plastic-coated cup and plastic lid with plastic straw, and, depending on the order, individually plastic-wrapped curries and a plastic spoon. All in a plastic bag.

Swiggy has proven its capacity for innovation by becoming well established across India within its first five years. Now we’re calling on Swiggy to cut single-use plastics by:

1.     Providing only 100% compostable packaging and cutlery to the restaurants it partners with

or

2.     Offering reusable containers, available for a deposit, to be returned clean at delivery of next order, as an option for all orders

As a consumer, I embrace the convenience of delicious meals, cheaply delivered, but I don’t want them to kill the planet. Together, let’s make our future free of single-use plastics.