Recycling pledge offered by major firms
Wednesday, January 18, 2017 - 10:07:36
Companies including Coca-Cola and Unilever have committed to a new campaign which is seeking to dramatically increase the amount of plastic which is recycled globally, focusing on packaging for a variety of products.
The Daily Mail reports that the pledge will see these international corporations working to develop new types of packaging which can either be reused with greater ease, or recycled effectively and affordably, to reduce the amount of waste which simply ends up in landfill sites.
Compostable packaging will also be more widely used, meaning that even if a container is discarded it will break down quickly, rather than remaining intact for hundreds or possibly thousands of years, as is the case with standard plastic.
From fizzy drink bottles to crisp packets and containers for laundry detergents, the companies which manufacture mainstream brands will no longer be deploying packaging which makes use of lots of different layers of plastic, or indeed of materials which contain a multitude of bright colours, because of the environmental damage which might be done.
In addition to this, consumers will be encouraged to hang onto their current reusable packaging and return to high street stores for a refill, rather than receiving a new container each and every time they make a purchase.
The UK may even adopt a deposit-based approach to packaging, meaning that people pay a premium to receive a container and can get their money back when they return it for recycling, echoing similar schemes already deployed in North America and other parts of the world.
Incentivising recycling is important, but addressing the root of the problem by engaging with businesses is even more relevant to this battle for the environment, especially when it comes to packaging made from non-degradable substances, such as cheap plastics.
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