Packaging recycling - how is it done and is it cost effective?
Ecology
17 January 2023
Recycling is an extremely environmentally friendly way of using what has already been produced. Increasingly, manufacturers are opting for recycled materials or materials that can be easily recycled. However, this is not always possible due to the purpose or construction of the material. Hence the question, does recycling also apply to multi-material and medicine packaging? Fortunately, this information is easy to find.
Packaging recycling - how does it work?
Recycling begins when, after a product, all that remains is its packaging. First of all, check that what you want to throw away is recyclable. Recyclable packaging includes:
- glass (bottles, jars);
- paper, cardboard;
- plastic;
- plastics;
- wrapping film;
- aluminium cans;
- multi-material packaging;
- biodegradable packaging.
If you already know that your packaging is recyclable, it is time to dispose of it in the appropriate containers. If you are not sure where a particular item should go, you can easily check it on the Internet under the phrase "where to throw...".
This is the first initial stage, called sorting, which is done again, by waste companies. This is followed by shredding using special cutting machines and a sieve, which separates the wrong-sized scraps.
The shredded materials, especially plastic and glass, need to be washed, which is a further recycling step. The shreds go into special tubs where they are treated with water and cleaning detergents. The waste then goes for centrifugation from the water and thorough drying.
The cleaned cuttings are ready for the final stage, extrusion. The final product is created, in the case of glass it is a new jar or bottle, and in the case of plastic it is a granulate that will be melted down into new packaging.
What is packaging recycling?
Packaging recycling is a process that is based on the industrial reprocessing of waste to obtain substances or materials that can be reused for the same or another purpose. In this way, the packaging in which products are purchased in shops can be reused, going into a second circuit. Re-use is most often associated with the recycling of cardboard and plastic packaging, but the items sold are packed with many more substances, and recycling need not be limited to collecting waste paper and sorting PET bottles.
Recycled packaging is created by reusing plastic that has already been produced. Great examples of things made from recycling are:
- Egg stampings;
- bandages;
- pots;
- banknotes;
- fleece sweatshirts and clothing made from recycled polyester;
- athletic shoes
- uPVC window frames;
- kitchen worktops;
- kafelki;
- wall insulation;
- plastic and glass bottles;
- plastic containers.
This way of using existing materials reduces the production of new packaging. This is all the more important as, for example, plastic, which is used for many products and packaging, is very durable and takes up to several hundred years to decompose. Once it is re-circulated, instead of lying in a landfill, it is still in use. Such solutions can be used in the cosmetics industry, where recycled cosmetic packaging can be aesthetically pleasing and fashionable, while also taking care of sustainability and reducing environmental pollution.
Technologies used in packaging recycling
This is just one way of using materials a second time. There are several types of recycling: raw material, which involves recovering chemical products and reusing them; material, which involves processing recovered materials and reusing them; energy, in which energy is extracted from burnt materials; organic, which is the natural composting of biodegradable waste.
Among the forms of recycling, a distinction can be made between upcycling and downcycling. the former describes a process in which the reuse of plastics results in something of higher value than the original product. The second term, on the other hand, refers to things that have a lower value than the original article.
Packaging recycling - where can I give away used packaging?
To recycle packaging, all you need to do is put it in the appropriate container for paper, plastic, metal or glass. The containers are usually located together with the mixed waste bins. More problematic may be, for example, medicine or cosmetics packaging that is not glass, metal or plastic and is full. If this is the case, it is best to take the packaging to a PSZOK or packaging collection point, from where it will end up in the right hands and be properly disposed of and maximised for safe use.
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