Packaging Solutions Green Solutions
Following the release of a new report by Ricardo Energy & Environment advising the UK Government on packaging materials, Parkside Flexibles is welcoming the findings that promote compostable packaging and its potential to increase food waste recycling rates.
The study revealed that 72% of the packaging experts questioned across the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, believe that compostable packaging will help increase the amount of food waste captured and limit plastic contamination in organic recycling streams.
As a specialist packaging solutions provider, Parkside, is welcoming the encouraging results and fully believes compostable packaging will enable the government to meet its sustainability targets. Proposed in 2020, the UK authorities are set to roll out separate household food waste collections across the country by 2023 to increase recycling rates. Parkside believes this can be achieved by increasing utilisation of compostable laminates in flexible food packaging, activating the next significant packaging step change.
Global sales director Paula Birch commented, ‘We have been championing compostable packaging as a viable alternative to non recyclable flexible packaging for many years. Non recyclables have the potential to be harmful to the environment due to the current inadequate recycling infrastructure, which often places them in landfills and incinerators. Compostables help reduce this risk and our reliance on non recyclable materials to ultimately help reduce food waste in landfills where it can produce harmful gases like methane.’
The company also believes that if more brands and consumers begin to embrace compostable packaging, it will enable the UK Government to reach its target of eliminating food waste from landfill by 2030 by removing conventional plastics that can potentially contaminate food waste streams.
Highly contaminated food waste is currently sent to landfill or incineration sites in the UK where it can produce harmful gases potentially 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Parkside believes that compostable flexible packaging represents one future-proof solution for brands, particularly in light of Extended Producer Responsibility requirements.
Paula added, ‘Food waste is a significant issue as the greenhouse gases released by rotting food are considered 21 times more dangerous to the environment than carbon dioxide. Therefore, it is great to see the development of this research as it confirms what we have been saying for many years. Hopefully, this can be the push the industry and the wider market needs to fully embrace compostable packaging.’
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