Food packaging to take away is hardly recycled: about 85 percent ends up in the incinerator, according to a study by Natuur & Milieu. Remarkably enough, the material of plastic packaging is in practice reused more often than paper packaging.
Three quarters of the plastic packaging goes into the incinerator and about a quarter is recycled. With paper packaging, moisture and food residues invariably stand in the way of recycling, the organization concludes.
“Recycling has been on the agenda for years, and yet we are now at the point that nothing can be done with millions of disposable packaging every day,” says Natuur & Milieu with bewilderment. “This argues for a very quick switch to reusable packaging.”
The organization analyzed, among other things, the composition of the packaging of 124 products from chains such as Burger King, AH to go, Kiosk, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Julia’s, KFC and HEMA. The researchers also looked at the way in which companies deal with waste. The results show that “the sustainability of this waste stream is in a particularly bad state”, director Rob van Tilburg summarizes.
There are some bright spots. For example, recycling techniques are getting better, which means that more plastic can potentially be reused, and half of the chains surveyed now offer customers the option of bringing their own cup for coffee and tea. That could be better, says Natuur & Milieu. For example, the organization points to La Place, which has set up an exchange system: customers can hand in their previous reusable cup and then receive a new one.
According to Natuur & Milieu, there should be more such systems. And quickly too, because from 1 July next year, companies must meet stricter legal requirements in the field of reuse. Now only 17 percent of the examined packaging that falls under this legislation still complies with the rules that will apply from next summer. “There is no possibility of reuse for 83 percent.”
Better separation of waste is one of the improvement options for paper packaging. That is complicated, because waste streams quickly become polluted in the public space. The fact that many paper packaging has a plastic layer is not always a problem for reuse, as long as it is a single plastic layer. There is also a lot to be gained in the design of packaging. For example, paper labels still regularly hinder the reuse of plastic packaging. The provision of information to consumers can also be improved: 88 percent of the packaging examined contains no indication whatsoever about what to do with the waste.
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss a thing of the stars.
#Research #food #packaging #takeaway #shops #recycled