How we increase recycling rates

How we increase recycling rates

No other material keeps your products as heroic as plastic and protects against UV rays, moisture, and bacteria. At the same time, plastics are often criticised because of our global waste problem. But how do you resolve this contradiction between essentiality and environmental issues? Very simply: by enabling sustainable disposal routes and many uses. 

Our mission: We simply don’t want to destroy used plastic. We advocate reprocessing materials for use as so-called “recycling” of new products. This creates a circular economy and uses fewer new resources. 

And it is urgently needed: After the statutory recycling rate was only 36% for a long time, it is expected to increase to 63% by 2022. But how can you do that, and how can we help you reach this goal? 

Rethinking Plastic Waste 

How much waste does each of us generate on average? According to 2018 data, you will be consuming your weight in plastic packaging within two years. 

There are many reasons why plastics are consumed so much. Lightweight, stable, universal application options and more. At the same time, we see the gloomy image of a messy sea and a complete waste incinerator every day. There is no doubt about it. The loop before “production, consumption, combustion” should be stopped. 

It is important to recycle as many packages as possible to protect our environment and its limited resources. Worldwide, that percentage is only 14%, and the actual recycling rate for plastic packaging is about 55%. But that’s not enough. 

Recycling: Important for Environmental and Climate Protection 

In addition to many means in areas such as mobility and energy, recycling packaging materials is the most important way to conserve resources and reduce CO2 emissions from waste incineration. 

• It’s one of the important approaches. Energy and Raw Material Savings: Reuse consumes less raw materials, as well as less energy than new production. 
• Greenhouse Gas Reduction: Recycling means lower greenhouse gas emissions that are harmful to the environment because fewer fossil fuels are needed. 

 The fact is that the more waste that is recycled, the less it is disposed of in natural or international waste incinerators. 

Why isn’t so much plastic recycled yet? 

Complex multilayer material 

Flexible packaging can consist of up to 10 different plastic films. The result is a well-protected technical product. There is no question about this. However, they are completely useless for recycling, as the layers cannot merge with each other or separate from each other. 

Solution: If the package consists of only one material, recycling is not an issue. And that’s exactly the principle behind our plastic bags. This is how our heroes can start a new life. 

We also work closely with Interseroh, a leader in the environment and recycling. Interseroh independently and scientifically tests recyclability. If the package scores exceed 18 out of 20, you can mark it as “Made for Recycling”. 

Unclear information about correct sorting 

About half of the garbage in the yellow bag has no place there. This makes recycling difficult and leads to the incineration of many packages. Often, not only is there a lack of information about what garbage the package belongs to, but there are also pitfalls. For example, yogurt pots are made of thin white plastic for stability and can be printed on paper. This part must be disposed of separately in waste paper. Here we want to make the lives of you and your customers easier. That’s why our plastic packaging is recyclable and we use the official recycling symbol to show how it should be disposed of. 

And another tip: Nine dual systems, including partner Interseroh, provide clear instructions on free disposal when you register with the central register Packaging (ZSVR) and join the system. You can also paste these notes into a package and dispose of them properly. As a result, customers do not have to ask themselves which trash the package belongs to, and together they can contribute further to recycling. 

Demand issue 

And last but not least, the recycling rate also depends on factors such as market demand and political framework. Since plastics are made from petroleum, prices can fluctuate very much. Unsustainable decisions are often made when new plastics are significantly cheaper than recycled plastics. Therefore, in the future, we need more financial incentives to reuse plastics, as well as conscious decisions that support more sustainability. The greater the demand for recyclable plastics, the more it benefits more companies.