One of the most important problems that we as people face today is the mind numbing amount of trash we generate and what to do with it, incinerate it, recycle it or send it to the landfill. The difficulty with these processes that we have created as a solution, better yet a band aid for a gaping wound, is that these processes themselves contribute to the build-up of greenhouse gasses and pollute lands and civilizations, in the case of dump sites. This problematic cycle goes deeper than what is seen on the surface, the whole process of manufacturing is affected by the way we rely on the industrial complex we know as the waste industry. Our lust for over indulgence and dependency on oil has fostered bad habits which, in turn, shapes the way producers of packaging materials manufacture plastics used in the shipment of our food, electronics, pharmaceuticals and just about everything else we use in everyday life. The only way to effectively reduce the amount of waste that is generated is to rethink the way we use plastics as a go to material, specifically, when it comes to packaging the products we use the most; food and pharma being the main focus. Waste from plastic results in millions of tons of non-recyclables and contaminated plastics being dumped in landfills every year: packaging waste accounted for 78.81 million tons or 31.6% of the total municipal solid waste in 2003 in the USA, 56.3 million tons in 2005 in Europe, and 3.3 million tons in 2004 in Australia (Kale, et al., 2007).
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With numbers like this we don’t have the luxury of continuing on this path of submissive self-destruction, something has to change, the materials we use for packaging has to change. One way to accomplish this seemingly unattainable goal is by using bio-packaging, packaging that is derived from plant based polymers that are both renewable and compostable (Johansson, et al., 2012). In the United States the leading method of packaging waste disposal is landfill, followed by, a not so close second, is recycling, incineration, and composting; if composting was first and landfill was last our waste could become a major contributing factor to the agricultural process, instead of millions of tons of waste we could produce millions of tons of useable material and play a part in carbon sequestering at the same time (Johansson, et al., 2012). With current processing of recyclables many soiled plastics are ultimately diverted to a landfill or incinerator, this is labor intensive and requires the use of subsequent transport further contributing to greenhouse gas production. This exacerbation of resources and valuable …show more content…
Also, recent advances in nano- technologies coupled with bio-package developments packages used in food preparation can have features built right in the container itself, components that can detect improper temperatures, oxygen removal properties, water vapor barriers etc. (Johansson, et al., 2012). Furthermore, these imbedded properties would also help with the constant problem of food waste by extending the shelf-life and usability of perishable goods, or let consumers know when pharmaceuticals are past their prime. The way out of our landfill dependency could solve more than one problem if people and industry could be convinced of the benefits; Frito-Lay produced a cellulose based chip bag for their popular sun chips but, was ultimately dropped because consumers complained that the bag was too loud; the sound of a waste product should not be the determining factor for a solution to worldwide
With numbers like this we don’t have the luxury of continuing on this path of submissive self-destruction, something has to change, the materials we use for packaging has to change. One way to accomplish this seemingly unattainable goal is by using bio-packaging, packaging that is derived from plant based polymers that are both renewable and compostable (Johansson, et al., 2012). In the United States the leading method of packaging waste disposal is landfill, followed by, a not so close second, is recycling, incineration, and composting; if composting was first and landfill was last our waste could become a major contributing factor to the agricultural process, instead of millions of tons of waste we could produce millions of tons of useable material and play a part in carbon sequestering at the same time (Johansson, et al., 2012). With current processing of recyclables many soiled plastics are ultimately diverted to a landfill or incinerator, this is labor intensive and requires the use of subsequent transport further contributing to greenhouse gas production. This exacerbation of resources and valuable …show more content…
Also, recent advances in nano- technologies coupled with bio-package developments packages used in food preparation can have features built right in the container itself, components that can detect improper temperatures, oxygen removal properties, water vapor barriers etc. (Johansson, et al., 2012). Furthermore, these imbedded properties would also help with the constant problem of food waste by extending the shelf-life and usability of perishable goods, or let consumers know when pharmaceuticals are past their prime. The way out of our landfill dependency could solve more than one problem if people and industry could be convinced of the benefits; Frito-Lay produced a cellulose based chip bag for their popular sun chips but, was ultimately dropped because consumers complained that the bag was too loud; the sound of a waste product should not be the determining factor for a solution to worldwide