Packaging sits in the awkward space between food safety and food waste. Operators need it for deliveries, takeaways and food-to-go, but the sector’s footprint is hard to ignore. WRAP’s last full snapshot of hospitality and food service waste was 2.87 million tonnes a year, with 1.3 million tonnes of that classed as packaging.
Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee highlighted the scale of the situation back in 2017, citing 2.5 billion coffee cups used and thrown away each year in the UK, with extremely low recycling rates. A newer industry report referencing WRAP-linked research puts annual cup volumes higher, at around 3.2 billion, which shows how quickly “small” items add up.
Reuse goes from niche to operational
The sharpest reduction of packaging waste can come from packaging that is not thrown away. Reuse systems for cups and containers are now moving beyond pilots into managed logistics, with track-and-trace and centralised washing operations.
Ireland is also pushing in a similar direction. ReCircle Ireland, backed by VOICE, has been trialling reusable food containers to cut single-use packaging without compromising service speed.
Fibre-based packs without the plastic lining
Operators still need grease and moisture barriers, especially for burgers, curries, and sauces. Innovation is speeding up in plastic-free coatings and paperboard engineering so packs can go through mainstream recycling or composting routes more reliably. Just Eat were early adopters in 2021, trialling seaweed-coated fibre boxes, expanding on an existing partnership with Notpla, who piloted the use of seaweed-based sauce sachets, preventing over 46,000 plastic sachets from entering our homes.
Deliveroo’s latest move, announced earlier this year, is also a good example of design-led progress. It launched a new takeaway box created through its Sustainable Packaging Challenge in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University and BioPak. The winning design features a new locking mechanism to prevent spillages.
The cup problem, tackled head-on
Some of the boldest moves come from independents who choose friction over waste. Boston Tea Party stopped serving takeaway hot drinks in single-use cups in 2018 and says the decision has saved over one million cups from landfill, pushing customers towards reusables and deposits. Customers can either bring in their own reusable cup, or borrow a loan cup for £2, which is refundable when it is returned.
The future of packaging in hospitality
England’s ban on certain single-use plastic items came into force in October 2023, and packaging choices now carry more compliance risk as well as reputational risk. The best operators are treating packaging as part of their overall offering, not an afterthought. They’re choosing designs that stack, seal, return or compost, and they’re building systems around it.
For operators, the direction of travel is clear: fewer materials, fewer components, and more packs designed for real-world sorting, or better still, designed to come back and be used again.
