Next-Day Waste: The Hidden Environmental Cost of the Delivery Industry

The Convenience Trade-Off

In a world where nearly anything can be delivered to your door in under 24 hours, the convenience of the delivery industry is hard to overstate. But as online shopping and on-demand delivery continue to surge, so does their environmental footprint. What we rarely see behind the click-to-buy button is a growing mountain of waste and emissions that is taking a toll on our planet.

Fast, frequent deliveries come with serious trade-offs: excessive packaging, carbon-heavy transportation, and a returns system that often leads to more waste than reuse. This article explores the hidden cost of the delivery economy and what we can do to make it more sustainable.

1. Packaging Overload

The rise in e-commerce has brought with it an explosion in single-use packaging:

• Cardboard boxes, bubble wrap, air pillows, and plastic film are standard fare in the delivery process.
• In 2021, Amazon alone generated over 700 million pounds of plastic packaging waste, much of which was not recycled.
• Even when packaging is technically recyclable, the reality is that many materials end up in landfills due to contamination or lack of local recycling infrastructure.

The volume of waste generated per delivery adds up quickly—especially when each item in a multi-order is shipped separately, often with excessive padding “just in case.”

2. Transportation Emissions

Behind every box is a journey, and often a carbon-heavy one:

• Last-mile delivery (the final leg of delivery to the customer) is the most energy- and emissions-intensive part of the logistics chain.
• Delivery fleets—vans, motorcycles, cars, and even air freight—burn fossil fuels with each stop.
• Express and overnight shipping often rely on planes and expedited trucking, significantly increasing emissions over standard delivery.

While in-store shopping also requires transportation, consolidated supply chains and group travel (many people shopping at once) typically make it less carbon-intensive than hundreds of separate deliveries.

3. Returns Culture

The ability to return items easily is a selling point for many online retailers—but it’s also an environmental disaster:

• One in three online purchases is returned.
• Returned items are often not resold, especially in fashion and electronics. Instead, they’re destroyed, sent to landfill, or exported.
• Reverse logistics (shipping items back) duplicates emissions and uses additional packaging, processing, and labor.

The environmental cost of returns is massive—and largely hidden from consumers.

4. Micro-Warehouses and Urban Footprints

To speed up delivery times, companies are investing in urban micro-warehouses and “dark stores”:

• These small, hidden fulfillment centers are popping up in cities, bringing products closer to consumers.
• While they reduce delivery distances, they consume energy, displace local retail, and increase traffic congestion.
• 15-minute grocery delivery apps have also surged, intensifying the demand for frequent, small-scale transport with high carbon intensity.

5. Solutions in the Industry

Some companies are making strides toward greener delivery:

• Electric delivery fleets are being adopted by Amazon, UPS, and others.
• Route optimization software helps reduce fuel usage and time on the road.
• Retailers like Patagonia and Loop are piloting reusable packaging and low-impact delivery programs.
• More companies now offer “eco-friendly” shipping options, allowing customers to choose slower but more sustainable delivery methods.

These efforts are promising, but far from widespread.

6. What Consumers Can Do

Sustainable shipping starts with our habits:

• Consolidate orders to reduce packaging and trips.
• Choose slower shipping when possible to allow for more efficient transport.
• Support eco-conscious retailers who use recycled packaging or carbon offsets.
• Use pickup points or parcel lockers to reduce failed delivery attempts and redundant trips.

Even small changes at the consumer level can have ripple effects if widely adopted.

7. Policy and Accountability

Governments and regulatory bodies have a role to play:

• Enforcing producer responsibility for packaging waste
• Mandating carbon reporting and emissions caps for delivery fleets
• Encouraging infrastructure for reusable and returnable packaging systems

Without regulation, most companies will prioritize speed and profit over sustainability.

Rethinking the Click

The delivery economy has transformed modern life—but it has also come at an environmental cost we’re only beginning to fully understand. Packaging, emissions, and overconsumption are deeply embedded in the system. But the good news is that awareness and change are growing.

We don’t have to give up convenience. But we do need to rethink how and how often we click “Buy Now.”

Sustainability in delivery isn’t just possible—it’s urgently necessary.

Let’s turn fast delivery into smart delivery.