Food Packaging in Brunei

Link to UBD website

Problems identified:

Plastic and polystyrene food packaging are used to a high extent in various events. Polystyrene food packaging cannot be recycled due to food contamination. The migration of plasticizers (DEHA) from PVC cling wraps and the styrene molecule from polystyrene has been linked to cancer. Bisphenol A from polycarbonate bottles has been found to cause genetic defects, e.g. miscarriages and Down Syndrome. The slow decomposition rate and limited recycling possibility of plastic food packaging has resulted in limited landfill space. The production of plastic and polystyrene also involves the production of chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs (which cause ozone depletion) and non-sustainable by-products of crude oil refinement.

Possible solutions to overcome these problems:

The public could be educated on the importance of the ‘3Rs’ (reduce, reuse, recycle) through the use of media such as the newspaper, radio and television. The public could be encouraged to use alternative food packaging, e.g. stainless steel tiffin carriers. Restaurants and food vendors could be encouraged to develop alternative food packaging and asked to recommend the packaging to their customers; this would make it much easier for the public to accept alternative food packaging. Rules and regulations on food packaging by restaurants and food vendors could be imposed.

Actions taken:

A brochure prototype was designed, which was attached to letters that were sent to several government departments for public education on food packaging. A letter was sent to the local newspaper’s opinion page regarding the problems of using plastic and polystyrene food packaging and suggestions on what can be done for a better and healthy lifestyle. It was suggested to the Ministry of Education that schools use alternatives to plastic food packaging and that students should be encouraged to bring their own food containers and to encourage recycling of plastics. The university cafeteria and student council were met with and negotiations took place regarding the change of food packaging practices. The Department of Environment was asked to propose an act and/or regulations on controlling the use of plastic food packaging in restaurants and food vendors.


An article regarding the concerns of using plastic and polystyrene food packaging was sent to Brunei Times and was published on 20th October 2006:

We conducted a survey and found the following :
1.In recent years, plastic and polystyrene are widely available in Brunei and are used to a high extent.
2.Plastic and polystyrene are also very convenient to use, are easily accessible and are very cheap.
3.Polystyrene and cling wrap are most often thrown into bin after they have been used once. Unlike plastics containers, most people would keep it and reuse it for food later on.
4.Paper and cardboard are not that convenient to use because only dry food can be packaged in such way and they are relatively more expensive.

We would like to persuade Bruneians to use reduce plastic and polystyrene use for food. We found the following possible dangers and consequences of using plastics and polystyrene for food:-
1.The raw products used to produce plastics and polystyrene is from the by-product of oil, which is “a non-sustainable, heavily polluting and disappearing commodity”.
2.Plastics and polystyrene decompose very slowly. This means we will have them as rubbish for a long time, leading to the requirement of more landfills as the amount of waste increases by each year.
3.Bisphenol A, which is widely found in plastic (polycarbonate) bottles, is suspected to cause a higher incident of miscarriage or conditions such as Down Syndrome.
4.Some plasticizers such as DEHA [di(ethylhexyl)adepate] from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film wrap have been found to migrate into food. DEHA is a suspected carcinogen.
5.DEHA migration level increase in proportion to the time that the food was in contact with the PVC film wrap, when the cooking temperature increases, and if the food has a high fat content.
6.Styrene molecule in the polystyrene can also migrate into the food. Styrene is known to be carcinogenic. Higher migration of styrene occurs with higher fat content in the food.
7.Polystyrene for food are not usually recycled as the containers need a lot of energy used for cleaning.

It makes sense not to use plastics and polystyrene for food and drinks and to reduce their usage. Conversely, alternatives can also be used such as bringing back the conventional style of packaging food which is the use of tiffin carriers or “ringkat”.