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- 'Environmental sustainability and business don't always go hand in hand, especially when it comes to product packaging.'
- 'Most commonly household packages - including potato chips bags, pizza boxes and toothpaste tubes - often aren't recyclable.'
The chip/crisp bag
- Problem - The typical crisp bag is made up of seven layers of foil and plastic. Pros for companies as these bags are light, reduce shipping, do not take up much space on a shelf and are graphics friendly.
- Solution - There is no easy solution: according to sustainability experts at Waste Management multi-layered is considered the worst when it comes to recycling.
- "When things are mixed together, you devalue the product," - Tom Carpenter, executive director of Waste Management's sustainability services.
Single-serving foods
- Problem - Size and materials are two of the biggest factors for recyclability: in general, the smaller a package and the greater its mix of materials, the less recyclable it is.
- Solution - Advances in technology could lead to new sorting machines and more sustainable polymers. Alternately, some companies, including Unilever, have redesigned their packaging to make it more sustainable. On the consumer end, many coffee chains, including Dunkin' Dounts and Starbucks, allow customers to use reusable coffee mugs.
- Another option is compostable, biodegradable packaging. Some supermarkets, like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, are increasingly utilising compostable and biodegradable containers. Unfortunately this is till uncommon. Green-conscious consumers can also opt to purchase larger items and transport them in reusable or washable containers.
The Pizza box
- Problem - Pizza boxes - and many other takeout containers - are made of recyclable materials, but when cheese or food scraps stick to the cardboard, they are no longer recyclable.
- Solution - Consumer awareness and letting consumers know that the box is valuable.
- Some companies have turned to environmentally friendly solutions including using compostable containers and specially designed recyclable-friendly pizza boxes.
- Some pizza companies such as Straw Hat Pizza separate food and compostable materials in restaurants. East coast-based Skinny Pines Bricks Oven Caterer use innovative packages such as The Green Box, recyclable pizza box that can be disassembled to making it recyclable friendly.
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