Packaging and Packaging Waste

Of all the materials contained in household waste, discatded packaging is seen by many people as representing both the worst aspects of our consumption and disposal cultute and the greatest opportunity for recycling. Waste packaging accounts for approximately 30 pet cent by weight and by volume of all household waste, as may be seen from Table 11.1.⁵⁰ Indeed, packaging accounts fot the majority of the dry recyclable elements of household waste in terms of cardboard, glass, plastics and metals, the other major non-packaging element being newspapers and magazines. Packaging is thus a significant element of household waste, but has received a level of criticism which is perhaps disproportionate to the amount of packaging which is actually discarded. Table 11.1 Packaging in household waste https://www.niso.org/standards/z39-96/ns/oasis-exchange/table"> Percentage of total waste Material Packaging type by weight by volume⁴ Paper and board

Liquid containers

Board packaging

Other board¹

0.6

3.8

3.1

9.1 Plastics Film² 4.1 10.3

Beverage bottles

Other bottles

Food packaging

0.7

1.1

1.9

8.0 Glass

Clear

Green

Brown

5.4

2.4

1.3

2.0 Ferrous metal

Beverage cans

Food cans

Other cans

0.5

3.7

0.4

1.5 Non-ferrous metal³ Beverage cans Foil²

0.4

0.5

0.9 TOTAL 29.9 31.8