recycle bags

Packaging

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:11:28 +0000

Packaging is used to protect the product and, in most cases, we can’t do without it. It gets products from the manufacturer to the retailer and finally to the consumer in a condition which the consumer expects. It also extends shelf-life, minimises breakage, safeguards public health and provides product information to consumers.

Damaged and wasted products could have far more of an environmental impact than the packaging saved, especially when a reasonable proportion of packaging material can be widely recycled. But it is important that the right amount of packaging is used – not too much nor too little. It would be unwise to reduce a product’s packaging, only to find that it has to be overly packaged to protect it when being transported to retail outlets (known as secondary packaging). Again it is about getting the balance right.

Packaging can protect and prolong the shelf life of some fruit and vegetables. Cucumber Growers Association tests show that unwrapped cucumbers are un-saleable after 3 days whilst using just under 2 grams of packaging keeps them fresh for 14 days.

Food waste is perhaps more of an issue than packaging waste, as when food rots down in landfill, it produces a ‘greenhouse gas’ called methane which is 23 times more potent than CO2 – so a balance has to be struck. Did you know that in the UK we throw away 6.7 million tonnes of food each year and every tonne of food waste is responsible for 4.5 tonnes of CO2?

Recycling Saves Energy

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:08:20 +0000

Using recycled materials in the manufacturing process uses considerably less energy than that required for producing new products from raw materials – even when comparing all associated costs including transport etc.

Plus there are extra energy savings because more energy is required to extract, refine, transport and process raw materials ready for industry compared with providing industry-ready materials.

Recycling Helps Protect the Environment

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:07:03 +0000

Recycling reduces the need for extracting (mining, quarrying and logging), refining and processing raw materials all of which create substantial air and water pollution.

As recycling saves energy it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, which helps to tackle climate change. Current UK recycling is estimated to save more than 18 million tonnes of C02 a year – the equivalent to taking 5 million cars off the road.

Recycling Reduces Landfill

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:06:06 +0000

When we recycle, recyclable materials are reprocessed into new products, and as a result the amount of rubbish sent to landfill sites reduces. There are over 1,500 landfill sites in the UK, and in 2001, these sites produced a quarter of the UK’s emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

Recycling Conserves Resources

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:05:31 +0000

When we recycle, used materials are converted into new products, reducing the need to consume natural resources. If used materials are not recycled, new products are made by extracting fresh, raw material from the Earth, through mining and forestry.

Recycling helps conserve important raw materials and protects natural habitats for the future.