A PATH TO REDUCE PLASTIC WASTE

Long description

Plastic waste is a huge environmental issue and health concerns. Around 90% of the plastic that is theoretically recyclable isn’t actually handled that way because it is expensive to collect and sort, since it is a labour-intensive and manual process. There are now thousands of different types of plastic, and none of them can be melted down together for recycling. Plastic production and consumption are increasing worldwide, and about 25% of the primary plastics produced are used in the FMGC industry as single-use PP, PET and HDPE plastic packaging for bottles and containers. The global market growth of PET bottles across the globe is being driven by surging demand from the food & beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceutical sectors. And HDPE containers are in demand by the personal care & cosmetics and homecare & toiletries end-user industries. While PET and HDPE items are the easiest to recycle, data from a 2016 census states that only 50% of all plastic bottles / containers that are collected for recycling, only 7% of those bottles are actually recycled into new bottles and containers. 

Single use PP, PET and HDPE bottles/containers are typically designed for a service-life of 5 to 20 years, which can either be recycled or reused efficiently. I believe that a combination  of incentivised consumer involvement and technology enabled scannable packaging labels can help achieve our objectives towards creating a sustainable and circular economy for these items. 

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