A recyclable packaging is a package that can be processed for re-use. It can therefore be described as ecological because it reuses the same material instead of producing a new one, which generates a preservation of natural resources . In addition, recycling packaging reduces the number of waste and therefore the pollution present in the environment.
What is recycling?
According to the definition of Wikipedia, recycling is a “process of treatment of metals, plastics, waste (industrial waste or household waste) that allows to reintroduce, in the production cycle of a product, materials that made up a similar product. end of life, or manufacturing residues … Recycling has two major ecological consequences :
the reduction of waste volume and therefore the pollution they cause (some materials take decades or even centuries to degrade);
the preservation of natural resources , since the recycled material is used for packaging https://wellpackeurope.com instead of the one that should have been extracted “.
However, some types of waste can be difficult or impossible to recycle. This is the case of toxic waste, nuclear waste, radioactive waste, etc. They are grouped together under the term “hazardous waste”.
For each type of waste, there is a different type of recycling: recycling of plastic, recycling of household waste, recycling of industrial waste, etc.
single corrugated cardboard
Recyclable cardboard with the symbol RESY (far right)
What are the different types of waste?
Before going into the explanations of the recyclable packaging strictly speaking, let’s learn to distinguish the different types of waste. There is :
the organic waste which are of animal or vegetable origin and which decompose under the action of microorganisms and bacteria;
the biodegradable waste (or organic waste ) which include all objects made of components generated naturally and which come from the kitchens of restaurants, agriculture, agro-industry, the paper and timber industry or just household waste they also decompose under the action of bacteria and micro-organisms;
the recyclable waste that collect all waste which can undergo treatment in order to recover the material and reuse;
the inert waste that correspond to waste “undergo any significant physical, chemical or biological, which do not break down, do not burn, do not produce any physical or chemical reaction, are not biodegradable and do not damage the materials with which it to be in contact… ” ;
the electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) include all end of life appliances running on electricity or due to electromagnetic fields, eg a computer or refrigerator;
the hazardous waste which, as their name suggests, are hazardous to health and the because of their direct effects / indirect short and long-term environment, they are usually disposed of by incineration.
The first two categories of waste do not need recycling as they decompose and are absorbed by the ecosystem. The last three categories include waste that we do not have a recycling solution at the moment. Hoping that the future will give us solutions! For the rest of the article, we focus on recyclables.
Aluminum film roll
What are the recyclable materials?
Nowadays, many packaging can be recycled. Here is a non-exhaustive list of all the materials that can be recycled with examples of recycled packaging:
steel that can produce tools or tin cans
aluminum that can be used for new beverage cans, rolls of aluminum foil , etc.
the cardboard used to create new paper and board recycling
the white paper and the kraft paper used in the creation of new paper envelopes or in the manufacture of cellulose insulation
the plastic (HDPE or HDPE, PP, PET, etc.) that can be used for the creation of new vessels, plastic bottles and covers mainly non-food (since 2008, materials suitable for food contact that is recycled can be used to new containers suitable for food contact following a strict regeneration process)
the polystyrene (PS or PES) which is recycled to the industrial level (and not at the particular) to create hangers, CD boxes or packaging (for the PSE only)
cardboard hamburger shell
Hamburger box in recyclable cardboard
What about food packaging? Are they recyclable?
Everyone has had to ask the question at least once in their life: can we recycle dirty food packaging ?
The answer is yes ! This applies to many packaging: plastic bottles (water bottles, soda) or metal (syrup bottle) beverage cans, cardboard boxes burgers , the pizza box in cardboard, tinned metal, etc. No need to clean them, just empty them well.
Only exceptions:
the sandwich bags , the pastry bags and other papers having been soiled by food because they have become too fat
yogurt pots and plastic bags because the plastic is far too thin to be recovered