Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Impact of COVID-19 on Food and Plastic Waste Generated by Consumers in Bangkok

A survey in Bangkok found that the COVID-19 pandemic increased food delivery packaging waste and single-use plastic consumption among consumers, with lockdown measures shifting purchasing behavior toward packaged goods and reducing reusable container use, contributing to measurable increases in plastic waste generation during the outbreak.

2021 Sustainability 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Pollution in China, an Invisible Threat Exacerbated by Food Delivery Services

This review examines how the explosive growth of online food delivery services in China is driving a major increase in single-use plastic packaging waste. The resulting plastic pollution contributes to microplastic contamination in urban environments, particularly through packaging that is improperly discarded.

2020 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Gaps between Attitudes and Behavior in the Use of Disposable Plastic Tableware (DPT) and Factors Influencing Sustainable DPT Consumption: A Study of Hong Kong Undergraduates

Researchers surveyed attitudes and actual behaviors toward disposable plastic tableware use in Hong Kong, finding significant gaps between stated environmental concerns and purchasing behavior that were amplified by the COVID-19 takeaway food surge, and analyzing barriers to behavioral change.

2023 Sustainability 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Examinando la demanda de plásticos durante la pandemia: Un enfoque factorial

This Ecuadorian study examined how plastic consumption changed during the COVID-19 pandemic in households. Pandemic-related increases in single-use plastic demand — from protective equipment, takeout packaging, and online shopping — contributed to a spike in plastic waste with long-term environmental consequences.

2023 Revista Económica 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Harnessing Digital Platforms for Sustainable Marketing: Strategies to Reduce Single-Use Plastics in Consumer Behaviour

This study examined strategies for using digital platforms — including education campaigns, awareness initiatives, and interactive brand experiences — to influence consumer behavior toward reducing single-use plastic consumption, identifying key methods for leveraging social media, e-commerce, and digital marketing tools to promote sustainable alternatives.

2024 International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews
Article Tier 2

The impact of perceived risk of online takeout packaging and the moderating role of educational level

Researchers surveyed 336 consumers in China and found that awareness of packaging pollution risk significantly dampened their willingness to order online takeout food, with attitudes and social norms partially explaining the effect. Higher education levels sharpened this response, suggesting that better-informed consumers are more likely to factor plastic pollution risk into food purchasing decisions.

2023 Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 11 citations
Article Tier 2

Uporaba plastičnih vrećica pri kupnji hrane - anketa potrošača

This Croatian-language consumer survey examined patterns of plastic bag use when purchasing food, in the context of growing awareness about plastic pollution. It provides insight into consumer attitudes and behavior regarding single-use plastic packaging.

2020
Article Tier 2

Single use plastic usage in the Maldives: Knowledge, practice and attitude

Researchers surveyed single-use plastic consumption patterns, knowledge levels, and consumer attitudes in the Maldives using questionnaires, finding significant knowledge gaps about single-use plastics and concerns about tap water confidence in a small island nation facing severe solid waste management pressures.

2022 Research Square (Research Square) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Product Packaging by E-commerce Platforms: Impact of COVID-19 and Proposal for Circular Model to Reduce the Demand of Virgin Packaging

Researchers surveyed e-commerce consumers about packaging waste during COVID-19 and proposed a circular model to reduce virgin packaging demand, estimating that the shift to online shopping generated 2,705 kg of CO2 equivalent per metric tonne of mixed packaging waste — with most households discarding rather than recycling packaging.

2022 Circular Economy and Sustainability 14 citations
Article Tier 2

From outbreak of COVID-19 to launching of vaccination drive: invigorating single-use plastics, mitigation strategies, and way forward

Researchers review how the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent vaccination rollout dramatically increased single-use plastic consumption through PPE, medical devices, and e-commerce packaging, and recommend a stepwise management approach combining segregation, sterilization, technological innovation, and transition to biodegradable material alternatives.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 37 citations
Article Tier 2

Prospect of microplastic pollution control under the “New normal” concept beyond COVID-19 pandemic

This review examines how the COVID-19 pandemic increased single-use plastic consumption through demand for personal protective equipment, online shopping, and food delivery, aggravating microplastic pollution. The study summarizes the limited research on toxicological effects of microplastics released from pandemic-related plastic waste on aquatic organisms, soil organisms, and humans.

2022 Journal of Cleaner Production 62 citations
Article Tier 2

Novel Covid-19: The Surge in Plastics (Known-Unknowns), Its Impacts on Public and Environmental Health and The Way Forward

This paper examined how the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased single-use plastic consumption — PPE, packaging, and food delivery items — reversing previous progress on plastic reduction. The surge in pandemic plastics is expected to increase microplastic pollution in air, water, and food for years to come.

2021 Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

CO2 Emissions from Plastic Consumption Behaviors in Thailand

This paper is not about microplastics; it surveys plastic consumption behavior in Thai households and estimates the resulting CO2 emissions from end-of-life plastic disposal, focusing on climate change implications.

2023 Sustainability 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in take-out food: Are we over taking it?

This study measured microplastic abundance and characteristics in 146 take-out food samples including rice, noodles, bubble tea, and coffee from disposable containers. The mean abundance was 639 microplastics per kilogram, with rice having the highest contamination, and the majority were fragments and fibers consistent with packaging and handling materials.

2022 Environmental Research 79 citations
Review Tier 2

Current state and research directions for disposable versus reusable packaging: A systematic literature review of comparative studies

This systematic review of 91 studies compares disposable and reusable packaging for food, beverages, and e-commerce, finding that sustainability outcomes depend heavily on context and that no single packaging type is universally superior.

2023 Packaging Technology and Science 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Waste and Sustainability: Reflections and Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic in the Socio-Cultural and Environmental Context

This systematic literature review examined the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on plastic waste generation and management, finding through analysis of 22 studies that the pandemic increased PPE and microplastic pollution in coastal environments and shifted consumption patterns toward increased packaging waste from e-commerce, raising concerns about long-term socio-environmental consequences.

2022 Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices toward Plastic Pollution among Malaysians: Implications for Minimizing Plastic Use and Pollution

Researchers surveyed Malaysians about their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding plastic pollution. The study found that while most people were aware of plastic pollution problems, there was a significant gap between awareness and actual behavior change. The findings suggest that education campaigns alone are insufficient and need to be paired with practical infrastructure and policy changes to reduce plastic use.

2023 Sustainability 35 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic recycling in South Korea: problems, challenges, and policy recommendations in the endemic era

This review examines how plastic waste generation in South Korea surged during the COVID-19 pandemic due to increased online shopping and food delivery, while recycling rates declined. Researchers found that despite active waste management policies, the country needs stronger measures modeled on international best practices. The study highlights that microplastics remain a particular concern because their full environmental impacts are not yet well understood.

2024 Journal of Ecology and Environment 9 citations
Article Tier 2

COVID‐19: An Accelerator for Global Plastic Consumption and Its Implications

This review examined how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated global plastic consumption through increased medical waste and single-use plastics, analyzing the environmental implications and challenges for waste management systems worldwide.

2022 Journal of Environmental and Public Health 22 citations
Article Tier 2

"Malaysian and Libyan Perspectives on Single-Use Plastic's Environmental Impact During the Pandemic COVID-19: A Pilot Study"

Not directly relevant to microplastics — this pilot study surveys Malaysian and Libyan perspectives on the environmental impact of single-use plastics during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on attitudes and questionnaire validation rather than microplastic contamination research.

2023 International Journal of Integrated Engineering
Article Tier 2

Online Food Delivery Platforms and Restaurants’ Interactions in the Context of the Ban on Using Single-Use Plastics

This study used game theory to model how food delivery platforms and restaurants respond to a Chinese government ban on non-biodegradable single-use plastic containers. Shifting from conventional to biodegradable food packaging directly reduces a major source of environmental microplastic pollution.

2021 IEEE Access 18 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

A Systematic Review On Consumer Behavior toward Plastic Consumption In Asian Countries

This systematic review summarizes research on consumer attitudes and behaviors toward plastic use across Asian countries. Understanding what drives people to use or avoid plastic products is important for reducing microplastic pollution at its source, since everyday plastic consumption is the upstream cause of the microplastic contamination found in our food, water, and bodies.

2021 ADVANCES IN BUSINESS RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic and its consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic

Researchers examined the dual role of plastic during the COVID-19 pandemic — as life-saving material in medical and personal protective equipment and as an environmental pollutant when improperly discarded — highlighting how pandemic-driven plastic use worsened water body contamination and public health risks.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 79 citations
Article Tier 2

The assessment of potentially harmful microplastic contamination in food packaging commonly used in Taiwan

This thesis examined potentially harmful microplastic contamination found in food packaging commonly used in Taiwan. The research contributes to understanding how packaging materials may be a direct source of microplastic exposure for consumers.

2023 Taipei Medical University Repository