TACKLING A THROW-AWAY SOCIETY

Plastic has been used for food packaging for decades. Since the plastic packaging tax businesses are rethinking their packaging strategies to avoid charges.

The packaging tax has been introduced by the government with the purpose of reducing plastic production and to encourage the use of more recyclable packaging.

Plastic is bad for the environment; not only does it create pollution and affect animals in and out of water, but it also doesn’t degrade for thousands of years so it is clear to see the impact it has on the planet. Food packaging plastic is made from crude oil, a fuel which is dangerous for the environment.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is used for drinking bottles, ready meals and trays, and are the most common thermoplastics used for packaging. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is used to manufacture plastic milk bottles that require more protection, while polypropylene (PP) is also used for trays and salad bowls in some instances.

We ingest thousands of tiny plastic particles every year taken from microplastics that are in our foods and drinks.

There are many different alternatives to plastic, and they can be used in different ways to protect the environment. Cardboard, for instance, is normally made from recycled materials and can be reused. It is a material that can easily be recycled. There is also paper made from natural and sustainable resources which is perfect for takeaway bags and shopping bags. And then there is bioplastic. A greener way to use plastic, it is derived from plant-base materials that degrade naturally during time. Glass is a great option for storage and is a more sustainable material than plastic, making it an effective alternative.

The world produces 141 million tonnes of plastic packaging every year. Plastic production disposal contributes about 1.8 billion tonnes of carbon emissions annually creating a global issue. Most food packaging is designed to be used only once and not recycled, and a large amount of this plastic will end up in the sea. In the Pacific Ocean there is a plastic dumping ground called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Supermarkets make a big contribution towards it, accounting for 2.41metric tonnes of plastic entering the sea every year.

It is imperative to take urgent action to reduce the impact of plastic packaging on the environment. In the UK, plastic packaging accounts for nearly 70% of all plastic waste and supermarkets have now started to find a better solution to reduce the amount of plastic used.

It is not always an easy solution to reduce packaging, there are lots of different decisions to make and options to choose from and it could take years.

The UK missed on its target to recycle 50% by 2020. This was largely attributed to lockdown keeping people at home which led to more household waste – that figure jumped to 22.6 million tonnes from 22.1 million.

Forty percent of the demand for plastic is generated by single-use plastic products. Single-use plastics — such as cups, lids and straws for coffee, or water bottles— are all designed to be used only once before being thrown away or recycled, with no obvious plan or pathway for reuse. Some single-use items are essential and have made things not only convenient, but safer. Let’s take the plastic water bottle as an example, a million of which are bought across the globe every minute. In places where the water supply is not reliable or safe, of course, bottled water can be lifesaving. But for many people in this country, bottled water is more about convenience, and our susceptibility to the claims of the companies promoting bottled water; advertising that it comes from fresh mountain springs or offers unspecified health benefits.

Persuading packaging professionals to reduce the use of plastic and use more cost-effective methodology is hard. But awareness and progress are being made thanks to several worldwide plastic packaging directives being put into place with an aim to educate global companies.

In April 2022, the UK Plastic Packaging Tax was introduced as a proactive way to encourage producers to switch to environmentally friendly materials and improve recyclability. Any plastic which contains less than 30% of recycled plastic will have a levy applied. The cost is £200 per tonne of packaging. All producers and importers of plastic packaging are obliged to register with HMRC and failure to do so will incur even more financial penalties.

Creating

Come and see us at RWM & Letsrecycle Live 2022

R-N184, near to the Packaging Theatre.