Waste in the age of being isolated
No more drive-throughs, no more Uber Eats, no more eating out.
New Zealanders hunkered down for the four weeks of coronavirus lockdown have crammed their pantries with hoarded food but it can go only so far – a lot of it will end up in the bin. ‘‘We will be tested and will grow tired of making big meals, which render convenience foods attractive ... pizza in a box!’’ Auckland University of Technology senior lecturer Sommer Kapitan said.
Life without convenience would be a first for many, she said.
The day before lockdown, a line of at least 20 cars could be seen outside a McDonald’s in Wellington for one last feed under the golden arches. This was a common sight around the country.
New Zealanders have stocked up on cans, boxes, bread and frozen foods. But Kapitan said stocking up also meant more consumer waste.
‘‘That means more packaging waste . . . that means more cans, plastic wrap, bottles, bags, instant packs, freezer packs, than we might normally cook with.’’
The extra rubbish could be a problem in Wellington, the Hutt Valley, Taranaki and Waikato, where recycling has been cut off during the lockdown.
Waste-conscious New Zealanders might be fearing a wasteland future, much like the Hollywood movie WALL-E.
In Wellington alone, hundreds of tonnes of recyclable waste will be sent to landfill during the lockdown – Wellington’s average recycling for April is 900 tonnes.
Kapitan said it was important to remember that sustainability was a luxury. ‘‘Our focus first is on our health and safety.’’
Wellington City councillor Laurie Foon is unhappy the capital will not be recycling during the lockdown. She called for people to stockpile their waste for the duration.
Wellington Mayor Andy Foster has said the city’s recycling involves a high degree of hand sorting, and the coronavirus threat made it ‘‘irresponsible’’ to continue recycling.
Professor Sheila Skeaff, of Otago University’s department of human nutrition, said it would be interesting to see how people’s lives and habits changed during the lockdown.
Confining people to their homes was likely to lead to more waste, Skeaff said. ‘‘Most food waste happens in the home.’’ On the other hand, the foods people were hoarding were non-perishables, and could last a long time.
Ultimately, people had worse things to worry about than wasting food, Skeaff said.
‘‘I guess we’ve got to prioritise.’’