ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the issues surrounding the management of unwanted packaging, starting with an explanation of the role that packaging plays and the three levels of packaging: primary, secondary and tertiary. There is a call for any statement regarding the recycled content of packaging to only claim a recycled content if this is from post-consumer sources. Examples of excess and inappropriate packaging are presented and discussed. A number of standard packaging labels are illustrated and explained, together with examples of On-Pack Recycling Labels (OPRLs), some of which are stated to be misleading or untrue. The chapter concludes with a call to designers to adopt the following principles:
consider whether the packaging could be made to be re-usable;
only use materials that meet the author's definition of recyclability; and
make multi-material packaging easy to separate into individual materials.
Annex I
organics:
food “waste” and garden “waste”
Dry Recyclables: paper and cardboard;
glass;
metals (aluminium and steel);
plastics; and textiles;
WEEE; and untreated wood.
