As the debate on recycling is heating up, those who simply cannot stand the heat any longer have literally come out of their kitchens in the trendy London quarter of Soho. Feeling anything but inspired by the mounds of white EPS boxes used to deliver fresh fish and seafood, a number of chefs in the UK capital have turned to the city’s mayor, calling the packaging the “scourge of Soho” and asking for a ban on the material.

Industry has responded with incomprehension. After all, the material consists of 98% air, and has aptly been rebranded as “airpop”. A case of much ado about nothing? Hardly. The mayor has now ordered a number of proposals be drawn up to ensure the chefs shell out on clams and not packaging, and to prevent the issue from cooking up a storm.