Smart Talks: Leveraging Tech to Reduce Plastic Waste From Takeout Food

Editor's note: Caixin Global and the Yale Center Beijing in August 2021 launched a Smart Talks on Climate Change program, including an essay competition, to endow leaders of the next generation aged 16 to 25 to tackle the problem. We're publishing the top three essays from the winners of the competition as this year’s program concluded in November.

When I only have 10 minutes to eat dinner, ordering takeout is probably not the best choice if I want to finish before an evening class. A similar situation takes place at universities, office buildings, department stores and other modern working environments, for one reason or another. Takeout services undoubtedly enjoy growing popularity for their convenience, catering to people from all walks of life. To my dismay, however, disposable utensils and lunchboxes — made mostly from plastic and widely used to package these takeout orders — usually end up in the trash.