Comments

• Hilary Pegg

  July 08 2008

  I've come onto this site to read about this issue as I was getting frustrated about not being able to recycle plasic containers and have just bought some salad in a plastic bag that says its recyclable. I'm in Freecycle which is a very large group of people on line reusing and recycling materials. Can we as a group lobby someone?

• Katie Fletcher

  June 17 2008

  It is really the supermarkets that have the packaging problem. I go to my local market with my good solid carrier, and I bring my own set of bags and containers which I ask the green grocer etc. to use. If they refuse, I go elsewhere.

• Katie Fletcher

  June 17 2008

  I had a discussion with my local authority regarding recycling of plastics, and they said that in our area (Newcastle upon Tyne) they could manage groups 1 and 2 only, but they WON'T take plastic trays even if they ARE group 1 or 2, because, and I quote "the collectors don't have time to check." May I suggest that manufacturers put a HUGE recyle sign on their products?

• Liz Goodwin

  June 13 2008

  Using common packs or polymers for all similar goods could also have negative environmental consequences. Packs use different materials and sizes to maximise their efficiency in production and transportation. Restricting choice could well lead to additional packaging being used. However, there is some scope to reduce the number of different polymer types and combinations of materials and some of the retailers and brands are looking at this. Personally, I think it would be helpful to reduce the complexity. It's very important that we remember to focus on the waste hierarchy - with reduction being our prime objective, followed by re-use and recycling.

• Liz Goodwin

  June 13 2008

  On the suggestion to use compostable or biodegradable packaging – this is not necessarily the panacea that it might initially seem to be. Where the properties of such packaging can extend food shelf life, there are advantages to using them, but elsewhere they can cause unintended consequences, such as releasing harmful methane in landfill or contaminating the recycling system - you can read more about this here - http://www.wrap.org.uk/document.rm?id=4907 - an information sheet on biopolymers.

• Liz Goodwin

  June 13 2008

  Thanks for all the comments. The report that we published last week - http://www.wrap.org.uk/manufacturing/projects/plastic_projects/domestic_mixed.html - clearly signals that recycling mixed plastics is possible, makes good environmental sense and is cost-effective. This is the beginning of a process, but as I said in my original post, I am committed to making sure that WRAP does its bit to make it happen.

• Chris

  June 05 2008

  I believe the way forward to reduce plastic film for retailers is government funding for further development and research into biodegradable and compostable plastic films. I understand the debate in using less or no packaging but I believe in reality we need plastic films to protect for example farming perishable items unless we want third-world standards and very short shelf-lives for our perishable goods. Which in turn will create another problem of wastage, and surely after all the energy and carbon-emissions expended to get that ‘cucumber’ to market, in my view we should protect it and make it last for 14 days, not just three – where in most circumstances it ends up in the bin or compost.

• Gin

  June 04 2008

  Why can't it be law in the UK for e.g. all food companies to use the same standardised set of plastic containers for all of their packaging. If every company had to use the same packaging design (just with a different label for each different brand/company) then it would be easy to sort and recycle it.

• Doug Anderson

  June 04 2008

  I am also concerned about the comment. It is possible to separate plastic waste in the UK, to use this waste without the need for separating, re-process and turn into something useful. The separation of plastic waste has been successfully employed throughout Europe & the USA for a number of years. The problem in the UK is the slow adoption of the resultant material which results in there being limited demand resulting in limited investment resulting in the perceived problem continuing. We need government funded bodies to actively assist manufacturers in fully developing their technologies whilst ensuring industries such as the construction market to adopt the products for use in their projects. Until we close the loop we will continue to talk about the problem without developing solutions.

• jon rackley

  June 02 2008

  re "mainly because it is currently not possible in the UK to separate all the different types of plastic from one another and then process them back into something useful" I strongly believe it is possible, it is however difficult, we are currently taking the easy route. How can I get involved in this debate ?

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