Environmental impacts characterization of packaging waste generated by urban food delivery services. A big-data analysis in Jing-Jin-Ji region (China)

Controversies on food delivery services environmental impacts have been sparked due to the growth of this economic sector. This study focuses on the environmental impacts generated by packaging waste related to urban food delivery services. In particular, the Python based web-crawling and sample survey methods are used for big data mining, and LCA-based environmental impacts evaluation and Kernel density analysis methods are combined to determine the positioning trend of food delivery service providers and expansion direction of environmental pollution load in Jing-Jin-Ji region (North China). Results indicate that (1) food delivery service packages presently account for a very small proportion (<0.1%) of municipal solid waste (MSW). However, this study also evidences that food packaging accounts for 15.7% of the total MSW generated in this region. Even if this growing market sector might have a relatively low impact, households’ lifestyle might affect the results. (2) In terms of consumption quantity, plastic bags are the most used packages, accounting for 35.08%; wooden chopsticks account for 32.21% and plastic boxes account for 27.43%. Among all environmental impact categories resulting from the process of production of packages, greenhouse effect is the most distinct one. Paper boxes generate the most serious environmental pollution. (3) The distribution of environmental pollution loads resulting from food delivery service packages positively correlates with the distribution of food delivery service providers in Jing-Jin-Ji. Shijiazhuang has the highest degree of pollution resulting from food delivery service packages with the interrupt value ratio of 80%, followed by Baoding City and Chengde City, which have the interrupt value ratios of 65.1% and 48.6%, respectively. Finally, as bridges between food delivery service providers and consumers, food delivery service platforms should improve their environmental protection mechanisms. Meanwhile, the government should define a standard concerning food delivery service packages to consolidate the concept of environmental protection in the society to change the ways people consume, in order to achieve a harmonious co-existence between resource utilization and environmental protection.