Packaging cuts food waste - but how do we solve the plastic problem? | FT Food Revolution

Investment in state-of-the-art recycling facilities in Australia is helping to encourage a circular economy and cut plastic pollution
#packaging #plastic #pollution #sustainability
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[@fitandfirm]

Glass is much worse, heavy to transport and energy intensive to produce or recycle, requiring more raw material per container. None of the issues of plastic recycling are mentioned here like how to separate mixed material. For example can a container made with 2 types of plastic, with a label and contaminated by food residues be recycled? Also plastic isn't infinitely recyclable like metals, as the polymers degrade each time.

[@tilasole3252]

But micro plastics are 100% the reason not to use them. It's in the air we breath, the food we eat and the water we drink. At this point, it is inescapable to anyone in a city or even a medium sized town and who knows about it being blown by wind across countries and over oceans. And the longer the water sits in a plastic container and in the sun or a hot warehouse, the more the plastic degrades and leeches into the water. And it is now known that micro plastics were being gravely under reported. It is a lot more then scientists or the government was letting on or knew about. I personally use glass when I can. Provided you are not throwing it around, they are strong enough to take some shock, the ones I use anyway. Water bottles, Tupper ware, plates and bowls, etc. I do not personally use plastic any more on a daily basis, at least when it comes to food. If I can use a cork stopper, I will as well.

[@danh9922]

To improve efficiency. We generally just think there should be a single solution. I think industry and government needs to realise we need to take a multisolution

[@lambertois11]

There are sustainable options to milk plastic bottle! In Canada, milk is sold mainly in containers made of white food grade cardboard!

[@tilasole3252]

We have that too, but mostly for half gallon or half pints

[@mckennakills72]

Average UK household uses 40kg of plastic a year. Plastic is made from oil, if you incinerate it you create about 120kg CO2. A return flight to Thailand is 3,000kg. Burning plastic is a very low priority.

[@insgr]

Good point. It puts things into perspective. Air travel is a challenging issue, though. Many immigrants travel a couple of times a year to visit their families, and an increase in airfare could put a significant dent in their budget. Additionally, tourism relies on affordable air travel, acting as a cornerstone for many economies. Passing the increased cost to the end user will devastate countries that rely on tourism. it's a bummer that commercial air travel is the hardest thing to electrify.

[@jonasmuller7437]

What is the weight of 2 Eifel Towers in baby elephants?

[@loidforger6413]

Recycling is never going to work, need to reduce consumption and use a different meterial.

[@02nupe]

It’s a part of the solution not the solution itself. We need to continue to recycle ♻️ and simultaneously reduce consumption and use different material. None of those are the answer by itself.

[@hinduimperium4885]

Use glass bottles...

[@fitandfirm]

That would mean more pollution and higher greenhouse gas emissions from production and transport of thicker and heavier glass. Emissions from plastic are much less because you need less of it per container. Better to choose metal containers which are also light and thin and easy to recycle it you want an alternative

[@hinduimperium4885]

@@fitandfirm 25% of plastic is non recyclable and we have to deal with nano plastic issue as well, as a plastic recycled quality of plastic degrade as well. For metal it has a higher green house emission.

[@insgr]

@@hinduimperium4885 Metal is preferable to glass due to its lower weight and reduced brittleness. Both glass and metal, however, require more energy to produce than plastic. While there is no perfect solution, if we can generate energy in the future at a fraction of the current cost through renewables or nuclear sources, we may opt for more expensive options like glass and metal, mitigating the issues associated with plastic on multiple fronts.

[@SirusStarTV]

If we can't bring back the glass bottles to the store, the problem remains

[@tilasole3252]

Do what our forefathers and foremothers did, plastic, metal and wood. Safe metals though obviously, as well as safe glass and safe lacquers. We do not want lead for instance leeching into our foods or other toxins. Plus glass containers can literally last a life time, if you are careful with them. Plastic bottles on the other hand, too much micro plastics and they seem to fall apart if reused a few times. It's been discovered that scientists and governments knew of the dangers if micro plastics, but either failed to tell us the real numbers, which are much higher or they did not know. Either way it's in the air we breath, the food we eat and the water we drink. We can reduce it on a personal level, as in not eating meat or naturally farmed meat and not using plastic in our daily lives. Plastic does have it's important uses, but food shouldn't be one of them.

[@ZXTXM]

Buy what you need and stop buying cheap plastic junk Chinese junk