Recycling aluminum soda cans helps reduce our environmental impact.
Food packaging plays an essential role in keeping food safe and fresh and preventing outside contaminants from damaging its contents. Packaging also provides vital nutrition and ingredient information for consumers. Food packaging, however, is a significant contributor to environmental damage as packages are often made from materials that slowly biodegrade and are not recycled.
Food Packaging Materials
Food is primarily packaged in paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, steel or a mix of several materials. Paper is one of the most common materials for food packaging, from cereal boxes to milk cartons, and cardboard is used for bulk food transportation. Food producers use glass and aluminum for beverage packaging and long-life food such as jams and pickled items. Packaging often uses mixed materials, like paper coated with plastic or wax.
Landfills and Decomposition
Food packaging that is properly disposed of, but not recycled, generally goes to a landfill. In modern day landfills, certain plastics can take up to 500 years to fully decompose, while glass will never decompose. Even organic materials take an excessive amount of time to decompose because landfills lack the air and moisture needed for bacteria to grow and break down materials. Landfills are a growing environmental issue as the world population and waste increases.
Recycling and Reusing
Recycling helps lessen the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. Most food packaging (with the exception of mixed material packaging) is recyclable. Glass, plastics, paper, aluminum and steel are all recyclable. Recycling also reduces the need to mine for virgin materials, which saves energy, prevents pollution and significantly lessens our impact on the environment. Reusing packaging is another option for lessening the amount of waste that goes into a landfill. Reusing glass and plastic containers for food storage and transportation, for example, is one way to help the environment.
Environmentally Friendly Packaging
Choosing biodegradable materials as an option for food packaging can help reduce your global impact. Biodegradable plastics are made from starch and break down much faster in landfills than regular plastics. Paper is a biodegradable material that can be composted or recycled. Glass can be reused for food storage or decorative purposes, then recycled. Avoid buying food packaged in mixed materials as much as possible to minimize waste.
Tags: aluminum steel, amount waste, amount waste that, break down, Food packaging