NewWays for Environmental and Social Change

Over the past five years packaging suppliers have been introducing various forms of biodegradableand recyclable plastics made from a variety of plants, in the main corn, based on projections that consumers and recycling regulations will drive demand for environmentally-friendly packaging . Some companies are predicting that the market will grow by about 20 per cent a year.

We throw away a lot of packaging FOOD TRASH (FT).  We throw away almost four pounds of trash every day one pound of which is packaging.  In the dump Styrofoam and plastic containers take one million years to fully decompose.  At word the average office worker uses up to 500 disposable coffee cups each year.  70% of packaging is used for food and drink products.  How did this happen?

The practice of preparing food and then wrapping it for later consumption came along relatively late in human history. In the earliest, most savage days of primate ascendancy–an era in which people were dinners as often as they were diners (LARRY. BEST IF EATEN BEFORE THE PLEISTOCENE)–no one had time to worry about packaging. When you’re stalking a lip-smacking wildebeest at the same time you’re being stalked by a puma, you’ve got other things on your mind besides freshness and portion control. Ultimately, however, when hunting gave way to shopping, and gathering was limited to 15 items or less so you could qualify for the express line, the way food was prepared–specifically, the way it was packaged and protected–became more than passingly important.

– Jeffrey Kluger– link:

We know to:

1. Recycle and compost.
2. Buying in Bulk.  While not a permanent solution, BIB saves money, trips to the store, and consumer packaging waste.
3. Bring a reusable mug to work, school or to your favorite coffee shop.
4. Ask for Styrofoam alternatives for dogie bags and cups.

What else can the consumer do?

1. Cut out the Fat.  Refuse to buy foods and drinks that are overly packaged.  Some of the worst offenders include small portioned foods like yogurts, boxed breakfast cereals, and disposable dipers.
2. Support Green Companies that use post-consumer recycling packaging materials or who limit their product packaging.  Do you have a favorite company who is great on green packaging?  Tell us about them.
3. Limit your purchase of packaging FT to 5-10 items per store visit.

What can food producers do?

• The demand for Green packaging.  “The US food and beverage sector used $37bn worth of sustainable or “green” packaging in 2005,with demand forecast to reach $42bn in 2010.  The demand is growing.
• A Zogby/TechNet poll reported that 75% of American shoppers say their purchasing decisions have been influenced by a desire to save energy and improve the environment
• 57% of American companies have either a formal or informal green purchasing policy.
• Have a Green Purchasing Policy?  Try Green packaging companies like Earth Shell link

More Information– What Resources Are Used Most Frequently?

Paper and board are the most widely used packaging materials in terms of weight. Paper and board account for 43% by weight of all packaging and are used to pack 25% of all goods.Paper and board packaging make up 6.4% of the overall content of the typical household dustbin. For further information on paper and cardboard recycling see Waste Watch’s Paper information sheet.

Plastic packaging accounts for 20% of the weight of all packaging and 53% of all goods are packaged in plastics. Because of its low weight and relative strength, plastic is one of the most energy efficient, robust and economic delivery methods available.

Even though plastics can be recycled, there are fewer recycling collection facilities than for other types of packaging waste and only 23% of plastics packaging waste was recycled in the UK in 2001.This is partially because plastic has a high volume to weight ratio, which can make recycling collections of plastic packaging waste less efficient than the collection of other recyclables which weigh more. Plastic also has a high calorific content, which allows energy recovery methods to be utilised efficiently if recycling is not possible.

The lack of end-markets for mixed and single stream plastics also forms a barrier to increased plastics recycling. Recycled plastics can be used for a variety of products, such as garden furniture, flower pots and containers, fibres and new packaging materials. For further information on plastic recycling see Waste Watch’s Plastics information sheet.

Glass accounts for 20% of the weight of all packaging and 10% of all goods are packaged in glass.Glass can be recycled easily, and well established collection and recycling systems exist in the UK. The first bottle banks appeared in 1977, and there are now roughly 50,000 on some 20000sites around the country, usually located at civic amenity sites and supermarkets. Seven billion glass containers were produced in the UK in 2003 and the recycling rate has remained relatively constant at approximately 33% since 2000. This contrasts with much higher recycling rates of 80-90% achieved by other European countries. The reason these countries recover more glass for recycling is that they have a much more developed collection infrastructure. For further information on glass recycling see Waste Watch’s Glass information sheet.

Aluminium is used packaging applications such as beverage and food cans, foils and laminates. It has a high value as a scrap metal and can be recycled economically. An estimated five billion aluminium cans were used in the UK in 2001, 42% of which were recycled. The total recycling rate for all types of aluminium (including aluminium foil, food trays, etc.) was 24% in 2002. For further information on aluminium recycling see Waste Watch’s Metals information sheet.

Steel containers are used to package a wide range of products, including food, paint and beverages as well as aerosols. In the UK, thirteen billion steel cans are produced each year. Up to a quarter of new steel cans - more than three billion cans - are made from recycled steel. It is relatively easy to separate through magnetic extraction, making it the world’s most commonly recycled material. The recycling rate for steel packaging, including transport packaging, such as steel drums and bale wire, was 42% in 2002. For further information on steel recycling see Waste Watch’s Metals information sheet.

Mixed material packaging can in some cases have the benefits of being more resource and energy efficient than single material packaging, but combining materials makes recycling difficult. An example of this type of packaging is ‘Tetra Pak’ which typically consists of 75% paper, 20% polyethylene and 5% aluminium foil. Although many beverages are sold in this type of packaging, there is currently only one facility to recycle these in Fife, Scotland. There is potential to reprocess mixed materials packaging into other products such as floor coverings, shoe soles and car mats.