Plastic reduction

[localzuk]

Our council recycles clean cardboard/paper and plastic bottles (no lids) ONLY. Useless.

 

If you pay for a garden waste bin, you can't use it for food waste.

 

Anything else you have to do yourself which is OK if you have a car. Oddly, the council tip/recycling centre accepts tetrapacks.

 

That's remarkably behind the times. Our council has been adding more and more to their collections.

 

We can now recycle, kerbside: Plastic bottles, with caps on. Plastic pots/trays, tins/cans, aluminium trays/foil, aerosol cans, food waste, glass bottles/jars with lids on, cartons like tetrapaks, with caps on, paper/magazines, cardboard, batteries, small electrical items & clothes/shoes.

 

Pretty impressive tbh.

[Andrew_C]

We can now recycle, kerbside:

It's great fun in the summer on your narrow roads being stuck behind the recycling trucks...

[mavhc]

How is that different from being stuck behind the same truck that's taking the same rubbish to the tip?

[Andrew_C]

It is sorted at the kerb side; 4 or more bins to empty into different holes. Very different animal to a wheelie bin collector. Not saying it isn't a "good thing" - but it does work well as a rolling roadblock.

[sigma]

It is sorted at the kerb side; 4 or more bins to empty into different holes. Very different animal to a wheelie bin collector. Not saying it isn't a "good thing" - but it does work well as a rolling roadblock.

 

Our kerbside recycling is a wheelie bin that just goes into the truck and is sorted elsewhere BUT what they take is very restricted- for example, no glass and the only plastic being bottles yoghurt pots and food trays. We are supposed to take other items to a recycling centre. Consequently, there is problem with rural fly-tipping and roadside litter which seems to have got worse lately.

[mikeprice]

What puzzles me is that we are supposed to leave lids on bottles

whether metal or plastic

 

no idea why but there you are

[msi_school]

What puzzles me is that we are supposed to leave lids on bottles

whether metal or plastic

 

no idea why but there you are

 

Apparently it is so they go in the recycling bin and not in general waste or the floor.

[6Foot2]

Link: Coles and Woolworths offer to ensure stockpiled plastic rubbish does not go into landfill | Australia news | The Guardian

 

Australia’s major supermarket chains say they have offered to take responsibility for ensuring thousands of tonnes of soft plastic do not end up in landfill due to the failure of a recycling scheme.

 

In a statement on Thursday night, Coles and Woolworths said they would provide safe storage for plastic material stockpiled in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia “while recycling options are explored”.

 

The failed recycling scheme, run by REDcycle on behalf of the supermarket chains, led to more than 12,000 tonnes of plastic collected by the public being warehoused since 2018.

 

The REDcycle program was suspended in November. The NSW Environment Protection Authority issued clean-up orders to Coles and Woolworths earlier this month for 15 warehouses and storage depots. Tony Chappel, the EPA’s chief executive, said the plastic was not safely stored, a fire hazard and may “unfortunately end up in landfill”.

 

It prompted the Boomerang Alliance, a coalition of 55 conservation groups, to accuse the packaging industry of using the REDcycle scheme as a marketing ploy to mask how little was being done to improve recycling rates. It urged the federal environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, to stop the stockpiled waste being dumped.

 

The supermarkets said they made the offer to take responsibility for the plastic after a meeting of the national soft plastics taskforce. REDcycle, which still has control of the plastic storage sites, was yet to respond to their offer.

 

Coles and Woolworths said if REDcycle agreed they would “implement an interim strategy, such as safely storing material until it can be viably processed for recycling”.

 

Each company would make “an initial multimillion-dollar contribution” to a soft plastics recycling fund that would pay for storage and management of the stockpiled material, they said.

 

Woolworths chief executive, Brad Banducci, said the company “knew Australians had been let down” and it was “working to make it right”.

 

“Coles and Woolworths have taken this step to provide reassurance to the public that the soft plastics they took the effort to deposit in REDcycle’s bins won’t be unnecessarily sent to landfill,” he said. “We know this may take some time.”

 

The companies said if they were given access to the stockpiles they would need to assess whether any of the plastic had degraded to a point that it was not suitable for reprocessing. They said they would “work to recycle as much of the material they are given as possible”.

 

Plibersek welcomed the announcement, but said more work was needed before recycling collection for soft plastic could start again. She said REDcycle had been Australia’s largest soft plastic collection program, but it faced a “series of processing and recycling issues” that were compounded by a fire shutting down its largest recycling facility.

 

She said REDcycle collection points at Coles and Woolworths had been the only way to return soft plastics for recycling for most people.

 

“Australians went to great effort to sort and take their plastics back to supermarkets to ensure they were recycled by REDcycle. I am determined to ensure that this effort was not in vein and that they can be confident their plastics won’t go to landfill,” Plibersek said.

 

Earlier this month, the Boomerang Alliance said REDcycle was collecting less than 1% of the 449,000 tonnes of soft plastic used by Australians each year, and a more ambitious solution was needed.

 

The alliance’s director, Jeff Angel, called on the federal government to strengthen product stewardship laws to ensure the use of plastic packaging started to fall and voluntary recycling targets set for 2025 – including 70% of plastics being recycled or composted and packaging having 20% recycled content – were met.

[Norphy]

Link: New Scottish poppy gets rid of plastic

 

The Poppy Scotland appeal this year will have a new addition - a paper poppy.

 

The organisation has decided it wants to play its part to tackle the problem of single-use plastic. The older style poppy, which will still be available this year, is to be phased out as it uses plastic.

 

A new machine creates the paper alternative at the Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory in Edinburgh. The veterans who work there used to assemble the poppies by hand, but have now been moved on to other tasks such as the production of wreaths.

 

By 2026, Poppy Scotland hopes every poppy in its annual appeal - which remembers those who have died in conflicts and supports veterans - will be made from paper.

 

Actually, not such a bad idea. Probably cheaper too.

[sigma]

Link: New Scottish poppy gets rid of plastic

 

 

 

Actually, not such a bad idea. Probably cheaper too.

 

Many years ago, when I was a kid, all the poppies were paper with a grey wire stalk. I suspect the black bit in the middle was a plastic, but it was stamped “Haig Fund” rather than “Poppy Appeal”. They were also a little larger than the ones we get today.

[mikeprice]

Link: New Scottish poppy gets rid of plastic

 

 

 

Actually, not such a bad idea. Probably cheaper too.

 

Better still they probably won;t last from one year to the next

 

For many years I used the same poppy that I kept in my drawer at work for the rest of teh year

 

and YES - I did put some money in the tin - but if I saw the poppy season starting and I just pinned on the old one then I felt guilty and remembered to donate something

 

I got a metal one last year and it has the year on it to stop people reusing them as easily

[6Foot2]

NOTE: Not a political post: No political replies are expected, nor are they invited.

 

Plastic reduction fail!

 

Link: US plastic bag recycling directory site taken down after ‘abysmal failure’ | Plastic bags | The Guardian

 

Investigation by ABC News found some materials were ending up in landfills, incinerators and other waste facilities

 

A national online recycling directory for plastic bags and films has been taken offline, six months after an investigation by ABC News found some materials were ending up in landfills, incinerators and other waste facilities.

 

The directory previously directed users to some 18,000 store drop-off locations around the country where they could bring used plastic bags and packaging to be recycled, including Walmart and Target locations. The initiative was promoted by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local and state governments across the country.

 

In May, ABC News and affiliates used digital tracking devices to monitor plastic waste dropped off at Walmart and Target stores listed on the directory. Of the 46 trackers placed, the vast majority never ended up at locations associated with plastic bag recycling.

 

“Plastic film recycling had been an abysmal failure for decades and it’s important that plastic companies stop lying to the public,” said Judith Enck, president of advocacy group Beyond Plastics. “Finally, the truth is coming out.”

 

Plastics are a major contributor to the climate crisis. Made from oil and gas, the materials are set to drive nearly half of oil demand growth by midcentury, according to the US International Energy Agency.

 

Producing the materials requires fossil fuel extraction, refining and “cracking” in special high-heat facilities, and plastic waste often ends up in landfills and waste incinerators. Each step produces planet-heating and toxic emissions.

 

Already, the production and disposal of plastics account for 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says, and that number is slated to rise.

 

Nina Bellucci Butler, CEO of Stina Inc, which managed the directory, cited a serious lack of commitment from industry partners in the decision to shutter the initiative, as well as meager demand for recycled plastics.

 

“It’s a fine line between maintaining a credible resource to help people find the best option for the common household items that are not easy to eliminate … and enabling greenwashing,” she wrote in an email.

 

She said a lack of adequate funding for the project and the plastic recycling sector at large also contributed to the decision to take down the site. The project was initially funded by the American Chemistry Council, a plastic industry lobbying group which has lobbied against many US environmental regulations, but Butler said it had been self-funded for almost a year before closing down last month.

 

The directory’s demise is indicative of a larger problem in the plastics recycling sector. Of the 51m tons of plastic waste US households generated in 2021, just 2.4m tons – or 5% – was recycled, a Greenpeace report found last year.

 

A major hurdle: plastic materials are expensive to collect and sort. There are thousands of different kinds of the material, and none of them can be melted down together. Even plastics of the same category often can’t be recycled together – bottles that are dyed green or blue, for instance, can’t be processed with clear bottles made of the same kind of plastic, and few facilities have the capacity to sort so many different materials, the Greenpeace report found.

 

Industry interests have long insisted that plastic recycling can be improved, yet report after report shows recycling is failing to rein in the problem.

 

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Plastic waste is also a major contributor to terrestrial and marine pollution, and can leach toxins into the environment.

 

Experts say plastic production must be curbed in an effort to curb toxic and planet-heating pollution. And Enck, who is also a former Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator, said rather than relying on plastic recycling programs, “it’s better for people to shift to reusable bags”.

 

Butler said Stina also encourages the public to recycle plastic goods with the Trex Company, which still runs a recycling program with retailers. But ultimately, she said, she hopes the decision to end the program “results in more support for recyclers”.

 

“It’s past time to rethink business as usual,” she said.

 

Last month, world leaders met in Kenya to negotiate plans to tackle the plastic pollution crisis. And at the international climate talks known as Cop28 in the UAE this week, Inger Andersen, the executive director of the United Nations environment program, urged nations and plastic producers to change their behavior.

 

“The world is ready to break its addiction to both fossil fuels and plastics,” she said.

[FN-GM]

A similar thing happened in Australia

 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/10/more-stockpiles-of-soft-plastics-from-failed-redcycle-recycling-scheme-uncovered

[6Foot2]

Link: Tesco switches pocket tissue packaging to paper to cut plastic waste | Tesco | The Guardian

 

Tesco is scrapping plastic packaging from its own-brand pocket tissues, in a move that the UK’s largest supermarket says will eliminate almost 35 tonnes of new soft plastic waste each year.

 

It is the first big supermarket to make the change, which will result in the individual packaging and the wrapping around multipacks of Tesco tissues in its gentle white and balm ranges being replaced with Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper packs.

 

Tesco started the rollout before Christmas, and said the changes would keep more than 55m pieces of soft plastic from entering landfills and the wider environment every year.

 

“Unlike boxes of tissues, the pocket version tends to be used on the go and can all too easily become litter,” Tesco’s campaign manager Courtney Pallett said. “The new paper packaging works just as well as the old plastic wrap but is more sustainable.”

 

Tesco is one of the major signatories of the UK Plastics Pact, which is led by the sustainability charity Wrap and has set targets to hit by 2025, including eliminating problem plastic and ensuring that 100% of plastic packaging can be reusable, recyclable or compostable.

 

In its latest annual report, the pact’s directors detailed their progress to date, which includes the removal of 730m plastic items from supermarket shelves since 2018, and the fact that rigid plastic packaging is now 94% recyclable.

 

Tesco says the company has removed almost 2.2bn pieces of plastic from its operations since 2019. That includes wrapping around multipack tins and greetings cards, lids from products including wipes, yoghurts and creams, and plastic bags from its grocery deliveries.

 

However, part of that pressure has come from government-mandated changes, including rules that came into force in 2020 to restrict the supply of single-use plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds, and a tax introduced in 2022 on plastic packaging that was not at least 30% recycled.

 

Meanwhile, the use of single-use supermarket plastic bags has fallen 98% since retailers in England began charging for them in 2015.

[elsiegee40]

Link: Tesco switches pocket tissue packaging to paper to cut plastic waste | Tesco | The Guardian

 

I am pleased that Sainsbury’s is now packaging its own brand toilet paper in paper rather than plastic

[sigma]

I am pleased that Sainsbury’s is now packaging its own brand toilet paper in paper rather than plastic

 

A good move, but please, no return to ‘hard’ loo roll of the Izal or Bronco types.

[elsiegee40]

A good move, but please, no return to ‘hard’ loo roll of the Izal or Bronco types.

That stuff was only good for tracing paper

[6Foot2]

Link:Tesco to replace stickers on avocados with laser 'tattoo' in bid to reduce waste - Mirror Online

 

 

A UK supermarket will use lasters to draw size information on its avocados, replacing traditional stickers in a bid to be more eco-friendly.

 

Tesco will use high-powered lasers to remove a tiny section of the skin from their extra large avocados. The supplier, Westfalia Fruit, stated that avocados are ideal for this trial due to their thick outer skin. The lasers, guided by a computer program, will etch size information onto the fruit in just a third of a second.

 

This essentially leaves the avocados with a tattoo displaying useful information for both customers and cashiers. Westfalia Fruit has assured that extensive trials have been conducted to ensure the quality, shelf life and taste of the avocados are not affected by the laser etchings.

 

Tesco, which sells nearly 70 million avocados annually and has seen demand rise by 15% in the past year, will initially apply the laser etchings to extra large avocados for maximum visual impact. The supermarket is also testing the replacement of plastic tray packaging with recyclable cardboard containers for two of its most popular avocado lines.

 

The trials will take place in approximately 270 Tesco stores in south-east England and, if customer feedback is positive, will be expanded across all Tesco stores.The supermarket giant revealed that if the initiative is expanded to all its stores, it could eliminate over 20 million pieces of plastic tray packaging from just the twin pack avocados, with potential savings rising to 25 million across its entire pre-packed range.

 

Additionally, Tesco could remove nearly a million plastic stickers from its loose extra large avocados, according to current sales data from the supplier. Lisa Gilbey, Tesco's avocado buyer, said: "We're always looking for innovative ways to reduce the environmental impact of our products, and cut down on plastic waste in the home through changes to our packaging."

 

She added: "We're really excited to hear customer feedback on our new laser-etched avocados, avoiding the need for a barcode sticker that can easily be forgotten and left on when recycling through household food waste."

 

Graham Isaac, general manager at Westfalia Fruit, emphasized the company's commitment to environmental sustainability: "(We) continually seeks ways to improve our environmental performance and operate in a responsible manner, by focusing on priorities such as reducing and wherever possible, removing plastic from our packaging to contribute to solving the plastic waste challenge."

 

He concluded: "We are confident that, with a clear focus and united effort as an industry, we will be able to significantly reduce our waste, use natural resources responsibly and protect the environment and biodiversity for all our futures."

 

The laser-etched avocados have been gradually making their way to Tesco stores over the past few weeks, and by this weekend, they will be available in all participating stores.

[FN-GM]

Link:Tesco to replace stickers on avocados with laser 'tattoo' in bid to reduce waste - Mirror Online

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]71632[/ATTACH]

 

I don't really understand why anything needs to be on them in the first place? Our supermarket just has them "blank".

[6Foot2]

I don't really understand why anything needs to be on them in the first place? Our supermarket just has them "blank".

 

Regulatory requirements vary from place to place. It may be that Tesco are looking for a way to sell avocados (and later other foodstuffs) without packaging that complies with those regulations, where they may apply.

[nicholab]

Biggest question I have is why did supermarket ever use plastic milk bottles when glass was the standard and why have they not moved back to glass bottles? We now get are milk from the local dairy via a local shop.

[LeMarchand]

Biggest question I have is why did supermarket ever use plastic milk bottles when glass was the standard and why have they not moved back to glass bottles? We now get are milk from the local dairy via a local shop.

 

Probably cheaper, but definitely less fragile.

[AlistairB1983]

Maybe we should drink our milk from bags like in Canada? Although said bags are plastic ...

[mavhc]

Glass is more expensive, heavier, easier to break ( although

)

 

But the main reason is the only reason: Polluters don't pay for the externalities, if you have to pay the amount it costs to clean up the pollution you cause, suddenly it's not cheaper than reusable systems

[jmak]

There's also sometimes the factor of increased energy demand Vs additional plastic in use:

 

If your distribution is local farm to doorstep and you have a closed loop where the glass bottles are cleaned rather broken, melted and remanufactured it's probably fairly energy efficient. If you have a national distribution system where you transport many tonnes of glass around hundreds of miles with a fairly inefficient space utilisation and then have to recycle the glass rather than reuse, the energy cost is probably a lot higher.

 

NB, I'm not saying it's fine to use plastic bottles, just that resource use and pollution is not necessarily in harmony with energy usage and we need to consider both/many aspects together.

 

Reportedly the person who invented the plastic bag was trying to solve the problem of resource and energy consumption caused by paper bags which could often only be used once.