How do you dispose of biodegradable packaging?

This article was published by PKN Packaging News, July 2003, ìHow do you dispose of biodegradable packagingî, page 30.

How do you dispose of biodegradable packaging?

This might not be such a stupid question, as although advances in biodegradable materials are being paralleled in increased usage, disposal solutions are in danger of being left by the wayside.

According to the Australian Academy of Science, around one million tonnes of plastic materials are produced each year in Australia and a further 587,000 tonnes are imported. Packaging is the largest market for plastics, accounting for over a third of the consumption of raw plastic materials and on top of this, Australians use a staggering six billion plastic bags every year There is obviously a great need for environmental initiatives as a result, and the Australian packaging industry has to a large extent, shown commendable responsibility on that count.

One such initiative is the growing use of biodegradable materials in packaging. The use of plant polymers such as wheat or corn starch has an environmental advantage in that traditional plastics are manufactured from non, renewable resources such as oil, coal and natural gas.

However, even if the industry gets around the fact that current biodegradable materials are more expensive to produce than non biodegradable materials, it is not enough just to use biodegradable materials in our packaging. The consumption chain is longer than just the manufacture and use of packaging. A proper sustainable chain has to account for disposal, and ironically, that's where problems lie with biodegradable packaging.

Traditional biodegradable packaging cannot be recycled, in fact, it can even cause harm to the plastic recycling process. It also does not degrade in landfill: because landfills contain thousands of tonnes of material, it becomes compressed and is then seated under a large amount of soil which minimises oxygen and moisture essential aids to microbial decomposition.

Given that most consumers do not have a compost heap with which to dispose of their biodegradable plastic, what do they do with it? You can't recycle it and to put it in landfill where it will remain unchanged seems to be missing the point of the whole exercise.

If biodegradable packaging becomes widespread, then it is vital that an equally widespread and easily accessible system is developed to dispose of it. Composting is the most obvious answer as it allows the bags and any compostable material in them to be disposed of at the same time. Public compost heaps, run by local councils seems a good solution to maximise the environmental potential of biodegradable plastics.

Of course, a key factor in this plan relates to the separation of biodegradable material from the waste stream. It has been suggested that if all organic material is packaged using biodegradable material, it can be easily disposed of through simple separation at the point of disposal by the consumer.

Whatever method is chosen, it is important to note that simply using materials with environmental potential is not enough that potential has to be realised through a holistic approach to the life cycle of the product. (This argument may become irrelevant if the introduction of an additive from Canadian company EPI which claims to allow biodegradable packaging materials that are recyclable and degrade in landfill becomes widespread.)

Talking of disposal issues, before you dispose of this issue of PKN, you may have noticed a few changes in the magazine, the greatest of which is the fact that Ken McGregor is not writing this column. Ken has stepped down as editor of PKN to devote more time to sister magazine Food Management News (FMN).

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ken for his input into PKN over the years and wish him well with FMN. Over the next few issues we arm to refocus PKN in order to provide a more useful business tool for our readers. Packaging manufacturers are looking out for new materials, machinery and technology white packaging buyers are on the look out for innovative packaging and interesting applications. All of you love to know what your competitors are doing and what potential threats and opportunities exist in this industry. That is what we are focusing on and with your help, PKN will continue to he the leading packaging magazine in Australia.

Dave Clutterbuck Publisher ñ Editorial
JULY 2003