If a household spends on average around £50 a week on takeaway, its carbon footprint will be 450% higher a year than those who don’t.

That’s according to a new study by Uswitch, which suggests every time a user opens a delivery app, 0.778 kilograms of carbon dioxide is emitted on average.

That is equivalent to the amount of carbon that on average 4.6 trees absorb in a year.

The data also shows Deliveroo is the most energy-efficient delivery option, with 54.06 kilograms of carbon dioxide emitted yearly based on 10,000 visits per month.

That compares to 138.76 kilograms of carbon dioxide that Just Eat emits, according to the study.

That translates to enough electricity to drive an electric vehicle 1,870 kilometres.

The study also finds 10,000 visits to UberEats per month result in a yearly total of 126.77 kilograms of carbon dioxide and a yearly total of energy of 294kWh.

A Deliveroo spokesperson said: “We are pleased the data reveals that Deliveroo is the most energy-efficient delivery option.

“At Deliveroo we care deeply about protecting the environment and playing our part to reduce our carbon footprint. That is is why we have introduced a range of initiatives in this area and are working hard to introduce more this year.”

Just Eat Takeaway.com is currently undertaking a global carbon footprint analysis to determine an accurate measure of its direct carbon dioxide emissions and those associated with the food sold and deliveries carried out through our platform.

The company has already taken steps to help customers reduce the amount of meat they consume by highlighting vegetarian and vegan orders on our app and grow its focus on the use of electric vehicles in the food delivery sector.

The firm is also undertaking a research project to understand better the scale of food waste related to takeaways.

ELN has contacted UberEats for a response.