Plastic and packaging recycling misperceptions and myths
Addressing common plastic and packaging recycling misperceptions and myths
Misperception no. 1
Currently, only about 9% of packaging is sent for recycling. So why recycle? The figure is correct, but is distorted and only true when many large countries, where there is no recycling at all (in Africa and Asia, for example) are included in the equation. If these countries are excluded, the figure jumps significantly. Recycling in Europe currently averages over 40%, and is even 52% in some countries, above the directive, which set a recycling target of 22.5% by 2016.
Naturally, these figures should be improved, and they will as awareness increases and new recycling technologies that streamline and improve the process at every stage are implemented.
The graph above shows estimated recycling rates through 2017, according to a 2019 survey. The graph is from the following link click here.
Europe recycled 58.2% of PET bottles. The illustration shows the estimated values for bottles, according to surveys in 2019, 2017, and further back. See the link below on the subject: https://www.petcore-europe.org/news-events/202-2017-survey-on-european-pet-recycle-industry-58-2-of-pet-bottles-collected.html
The true recycling figure is 1.9 million tons of material that arrive at recycling plants, which produce 1.4 million tons of recycled material that is used in the manufacture of new products. See the following link: https://www.plasticsrecyclers.eu/pet-recycling-industry-installed-capacity-reviewed
Misperception no. 2
It is not possible to recycle more than once; i.e. recycled packaging cannot be recycled again. Simply wrong! Recycled PET packaging can be recycled, under optimal conditions, in an endless loop, which is what we have been doing regularly for many years. The uniqueness of recycled PET plastic is that it can be recycled, in a fairly simple process, into material with all its original properties. The process is currently undertaken on a large scale around the world, enabling the use of recycled PET plastic to make new packaging and bottles. See the illustration below. Today, there is an innovative recycling process called “chemical recycling” in which the plastic quality is even improved to the level of virgin plastic. This process and method are spreading rapidly; the only problem is that it is more expensive than standard mechanical recycling.
It is important to note that, in order to comply with our strict contact with food standards, we at Plasto-Vack use current technology to maximize the rate of recycled material at 80% (a very high rate in and of itself); the remaining 20% of the material is non-recycled clean/virgin material. The virgin material layer is what comes into contact with the food, not the recycled material layer, which is the middle one, and is produced by recently developed ABA technology, enabling the recycled material to conform to the strict contact with food standard.
For a further explanation about the pictures above and an article on the subject, click on the following link: https://www.petmonomerrecycling.org/
Misperception no. 3
Why recycle when you can use biodegradable packaging or packaging from renewable sources? Biodegradable packaging is a deception!!! This packaging is an even greater environmental hazard than plastic packaging in general, for the following numerous and diverse reasons:
- First, it is vital to make it clear that we are not talking about packaging that decomposes in compost, and which conforms to ISO 13432 – Compostable Packaging. There are many materials with the “degradable” title, but which are not actually degradable packaging for other reasons (such as BIO and OXO). Europe recently banned the use of degradable OXO materials.
- Compostable packaging is usually suitable for industrial composting (not ordinary or household compost). Israel has no industrial composting plant, which means that this method is inapplicable here.
- Even when there is such a facility, most packaging is not composted, because of the sorting at the entry to the facility. Any product that looks like ordinary plastic is removed and is not composted in order to avoid harming the quality of the producer’s compost product.
- Furthermore, if degradable packaging, i.e. made of organic materials, such as corn or soybeans, fully replaces plastic, the current crop insufficient, and it will be necessary to uproot hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest, if not more, to meet the huge demand – causing far greater environmental harm!
- Moreover, fields of crops in general, and crops for degradable packaging in particular, are frequently ploughed – and ploughing the soil releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere resulting in global warming, the key environmental problem today.
- Degradable material still includes chemicals that may be released into food. If the packaging is compostable, it releases toxic materials into the environment and food. The use of degradable plastic that comes into contact with food can poison the users, in contrast to the use of non-degradable plastic. The reason is that degradable plastic is supposed to break down under conditions of heat and humidity, which often happens with food during transportation and storage, resulting in the presence of particles of these materials in the food.
On a personal note, about ten years ago, Plastovack was a pioneer in the use of degradable packaging, switching to PLA material made from corn. But when we realized that it was not environmentally friendly, and more broadly speaking, even harmful, we stopped using it and began using recycled materials.
Source (click on the link): Biodegradable plastic could actually increase sea pollution , Biodegradable plastic – is really more eco-friendly , Scientists dig biodegradable bags after 3 years
Click here for a video from Channel Kan 11 on the subject
The image above: an article in Calcalist on misleading consumers and the degradable lie.
Misperception no. 4
Israel has no recycling plant, all packaging is exported, and some of it enters the ocean. Let us start at the end: close to 100% of exported bottle packaging (mainly to Turkey) undergoes full recycling. Some of the recycled raw material is returned to Israel, which unequivocally reduces plastic pollution. Even in 2021, PET plastic and bottle recycling is economically worthwhile, a fact that speaks for itself…
As for the recycling plant: until recently, a recycling plant operated in Israel, but regrettably, due to a lack of government support and the many fees levied on it, it closed. A new large and high-quality R-PET recycling plant, called Green PET Recycling, opened in 2021.
Misperception no. 5
Why isn’t simpler to use reusable products? It is important to understand that we are talking about packaging (not disposable utensils for picnics and the like). This packaging cannot be reused without a significant and material change in the current standard and cost of living in a developed economy. Furthermore, if we stopped using plastic for packaging, we would have to carry hummus, tofu, cheese, cakes, and other goods in our pockets.
Moreover, if these foods were not packaged in plastic, their shelf life would be a tenth or less of the current time. In other words, ten times more farming, industry, transportation, production, and so forth, which not only creates immense economic harm, but cause far greater damage to the environment…
Click here to see a 2020 BBC feature on the subject
Finally, reusable and other alternatives to plastic do not offer a real response. It is necessary to take into account the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the entire process that packaging undergoes until the end (take the hated supermarket plastic bag, for example), just because a great deal of research has been carried out on them. It is possible to extrapolate from the plastic bag to plastic packaging. The right question to ask is, “How many times does a reusable/other bag have to be used to become environmentally preferable to the same number of disposable plastic bags?”
According to a 2018 study by the Ministry of the Environment and Food of Denmark, the numbers are:
- Ecological plastic bag – 37 times
- Paper bag – 43 times
- Cotton bag – 7,100 times
In other words, one reusable cotton bag equals 7,100 disposable bags!!! That is the number of times for it to be worthwhile. By the way, the figure for organic cotton bags is 20,000!!! It turns out that organic cotton is a far greater pollutant than ordinary cotton, which shows again that intuition on the subject is liable to err…
A link to the study: https://phys.org/news/2018-08-reuse-bags.html?fbclid=IwAR035ngz3a6-u1ulPqm9WgDp_kBxYawzl32UNFy3nGwvP0hXPT9tTmqwDWU
These numbers take into account the combined environmental cost of production and transportation through treatment at the end of their lives. These numbers also take into account that most supermarket bags are reused for garbage (about 80% in Canada for example). In truth, countries that passed laws banning the use of plastic bags at supermarkets had a substantial increase in the consumption of plastic garbage bags, which are much heavier and more polluting.
A link to the study: https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/06/10/why-bans-on-plastic-bags-and-straws-are-annoying-and-overrated/?fbclid=IwAR0cMJd6P1GjCiIDZ7z0eevV_ZBP4ygFkYms3tt7kKX4o41MGkJIjtijLzk
The Canadian and British governments came to the same conclusion: plastic bags are actually the better environmental solution.
Link to an article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_shopping_bag?fbclid=IwAR0kOTOV74JF1Gsm9qfChDrdCaymd9XU-ZVIl5FVFoODsNksOrGVt78MoKk#Environmental_concerns
A pleasant and interesting video that explains this can be seen on the following link made by hiking in Israel.
Misperception no. 6
Recycle or not recycle – in the end, all plastic ends up in the ocean. The only plastic that reaches the sea in Western countries is trash on the beaches, and it is fairly little, albeit not negligible. If you want to do something worthwhile and immediate, go to the beach and pick up trash. Politics, awareness, fines, and increased enforcement against litterers will help. However, the absolute majority of plastic that enters the oceans come from a small number of densely populated Third World countries with poor waste management. It is very focused: about 90% of plastic waste comes from ten rivers, mostly in Asia and Africa.
China alone is responsible for 28% of global plastic waste that is not properly put in landfills and is therefore liable to end up in the ocean. Indonesia accounts for 11%, the Philippines and Vietnam, despite being relatively small countries are responsible for 6% each. Our neighbor, Egypt, is responsible for 3% of global plastic waste in the oceans. For the sake of comparison, Israel is responsible for 0.06%.
Misperception no. 7
Plastic packaging is the number 1 polluter, which is why is preferable not to use it all. Packaging is a critical element in the modern food supply system. The concentration of the majority of the world’s population in cities makes it possible to preserve open spaces, and to maintain life while reducing the environmental impact. Conversely, the distancing of food sources from the places of consumption requires food to be preserved during its ever-growing transportation distances. Before the era of modern packaging, more than 50% of food produced never reached consumers.
The packaging element usually accounts for a small portion of the total environmental impact of food production. Proper packaging ensures that the food produced safely reaches the consumer.
The breakdown of the environmental impact of a container of milk. Packaging accounts for 3.5% of the environmental cost of milk, but greatly limits product depreciation, which benefits the environment.
https://www.packagingdigest.com/food-packaging/what-in-world-foodwaste-reduce-isit1612/page/0/1
In conclusion, the world is in crisis, and we must heighten awareness and increase activism to save it. But the activism must be smart and knowledgeable to have a real chance!
At Plasto-Vack, we create packaging that will ensure optimal and safe protection of the packaged goods, even as we take environmental needs into consideration. This is the core reason for choosing recycled PET plastic as the primary raw material for our plastic products. PET plastic is the most recyclable plastic in the world, which also enables us to use recycled material as the primary source for the production of products. Naturally, all the products conform to the requirements of the Israeli standard for plastic that comes into contact with food.
The use of PET plastic recycled from bottles and food packaging to manufacture new food packaging is a real-world implementation of the circular economy that we have been trying to advance in recent years. The use of recycled material saves the world’s resources, because it is not based on oil as the source of the raw material, but on products that have already been used. The products are also well suited for repeat recycling, again and again. This is another important advantage derived from the use of the same material used to make bottles, which have a regulated nationwide collection network.
- The information on this page is based on the experience and knowledge of Plasto-Vack’s managers and includes extensive information from publications and research. We have provided links to some of them. This text was edited by Mr. Kelberman, an expert in plastics and recycling, who added notes and supplements. Mr. Kelberman, formerly the CEO of Aviv Recycling Industries, is currently a packaging consultant. He is the author of The Guide to Sustainable Packaging, which was published in 2021 (in Hebrew).