In Singapore, design firm Forest & Whale has created single-use takeout packaging made from wheat husk and polyhydroxyalkanoate, a bioplastic made by bacteria. Dubbed Reuse, company cofounders Gustavo Maggio and Wendy Chua say the packaging can be composted or even eaten.
“While single-use plastic containers are convenient and quick to get rid of, they leave a startling impact on the environment,” according to Yanko Design. “Accounting for their low-recyclability rate, plastic takeout containers stick around for ages, running off into waterways and polluting the oceans, spreading toxins to wildlife, releasing harmful chemicals and gases into the air we breathe, and generally disrupting our waste management systems.”