Clearing confusion on plastics
Confused about plastics? WRAP has launched a "Clear on Plastics" campaign to combat public confusion about plastics. It gives clear information about plastic use in packaging and tackles questions like "Why can't we just replace plastics with other materials?".
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News from down under
An ANZPAC Plastic Pact is to be led by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO). It will work with businesses, governments, and NGOs from across the plastics value chain in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Island nations to develop a common vision of the circular economy for plastics.
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Soft plastics are to be collected from over 100,000 homes in Australia through kerbside recycling and diverted from landfill in a trial being led by Nestlé and recycler iQ Renew. Some 750 tonnes of soft plastic is expected to be processed.
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And from the States … converting crisp bags to bottles
A crisp bag has been converted into para-xylene - the primary chemical used to make virgin PET for beverage bottles – by US-based sustainable technology company Anellotech. It is believed this breakthrough will help to satisfy the growing global demand for recycled PET.
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Closer to home …
Silencing the hogwash
It's time we heard more about the positive side of plastic and less of the green-wash hogwash, says Nigel Coates on his soap box.
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Tesco's packaging traffic lights
Categorised under Red, Amber, and Green, Tesco has updated its preferred material list for own branded products.
See it here >>
Bioplastics special report
With consumers increasingly intent upon making sustainable purchasing decisions, the adoption of bio-based packaging solutions should be very much in tune with the times. The topic is explored in "Green expectations | Special report – bioplastics" from Packaging News.
Read the report >>
Understanding plastic packaging
It is easy to be confused by the differences between the materials used to make plastic packaging, the way plastics can behave and the terminology used. WRAP published a document last year to provide some clarity.
View the document >>
Recycling confusion
New report published from Hi-Cone titled “The State of Plastic Recycling” found that more than half of UK adults are unsure how to recycle plastics, as reported by British Plastics & Rubber Magazine.
Read more here >>
AND FINALLY … the plastic-chomping worm creates hilarity
The story of wax worms that can digest plastic has been resurfaced by the Daily Mail. And the readers' comments have raised a smile. They include "... and will probably create something catastrophic, like a mutated creature that eats all the plastic in the world, and poops out nuclear waste" and "If it is just a single-use plastic bag caterpillar they might as well go back to the drawing board".
The story is here >>