Another important ecological difference between the traditional street market and the modern supermarket is their relative use of packaging. Outdoor markets demand only enough packaging to move the product from the point of origin to the market. The giant supermarket chains, on the other hand, necessitate the most sophisticated packaging. Styrofoam boxes, plastic containers, and deluxe packaging have been the norm over the past decade. The problem with packaging and solid waste in general, is complicated.
Packaging represents much of the developed world's solid municipal waste.
In Mexico City, the ratio of packaging waste to total solid waste is only a bit smaller. However, packaging is essential to food distribution on many levels. In fact, in some cases, more sophisticated packaging, by protecting the quality and freshness of foods and reducing spoilage, might actually lower total waste mass. For geographically barriered cities like Mexico City and Hong Kong, landfill capacity is a significant ecological concern. More important on the topic of packaging is the pollution caused by it manufacture.