A step forward packaging waste.

A step forward

The drive for more environmentally-friendly packaging continues apace – not least in the development and recent trialling of a paper sandwich pack - but the process is not without its challenges reports BSA director, Jim Winship.

NEW PAPER PACK

Contrary to certain poorly researched TV programmes, the packaging and sandwich/food to go industry has been working for some years to nd a way of making packaging more environmentally friendly and this year has seen a major step forward with trials of a new paper sandwich pack.

The indications are that the packaging has met with favourable response with the consumers, despite the window not being as clear as traditional plastic lined packs. It also has the bene t of meeting the criteria demanded by recyclers.

There is, however, one big question that remains unanswered – can we persuade consumers to dispose of these packs in the right way to get them to the recycling centres?

COST IMPLICATIONS

For all the good intentions set by Michael Gove MP when he was Secretary of State at DEFRA, our recycling system is still not yet t for purpose. The new fees proposed under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation will do little more than transfer the costs of waste management from government to business (and ultimately the consumer) with slow and limited results in reducing waste.

Essentially, unless consumers dispose of food on the move packaging in the right way and in appropriate bins, it is very unlikely to get recycled. The challenges of keeping public bins empty and waste segregated is commercially not viable for them.

SIMPLIFICATION

The fundamental aw in the Environmental Bill was that it missed the opportunity to address the need to simplify our national waste systems, although having a consistent waste collection across all four devolved governments will help.

Currently, every local authority does its own thing in terms of waste collection but what we hope to now see from the EPR scheme is a proper national waste strategy with colour coded bins and clear labelling that makes disposing of waste as convenient as buying the product in the rst place.

FUTURE TRIALS

Having said that, this is all at least three to four years away and so, as an industry, we need to act now and look at ways for encouraging consumers to do the right thing.

Indeed, the BSA waste group is planning to undertake trials of a collection system for sandwich packs in collaboration with some retailers in 2022 with the aim of creating a cyclical packaging economy. The big question, however, remains how do we convince convenienceoriented consumers to take their used packs to these recycling points? Perhaps the trials will give us some clues?