Good Product, Bad Package: The Most Sustainable Packaging Mistakes

Packaging is an art that has been practiced for centuries and there is more to it than just putting a pizza in a box. There are a lot of factors to consider while packaging goods for either delivery of other purposes. Most of the businesses don't seem to care about environmental sustainability for they continue to make packaging mistakes that can be hazardous to the environment. Recently, the president of Waste Zero a company dedicated to achieving a better environment, argues that businesses are mostly interested with the cost of a packaging practice, along with how the practice was going to drive customers to their business. Here are some packaging mistakes that companies make in packaging and how to redeem ourselves from these problems. The Chips Bag This is a very disadvantageous form of packaging as there is no known solution for recycling the material used in this form of packaging. A common chip bag comprises of multilayers of foil and plastic, usually up to seven layers. However advantageous this is to the company, it is hazardous to the environment because there is currently no machinery to separate the layers. The only way out of this may be creating awareness through campaigns and advertisements. Single-Serving Foods It has been discovered that those yogurt and coffee cups you walk around with on the streets can be very problematic. They are made of difficult-to-recycle plastic and the size makes them more disastrous to the environment. To solve this problem, it is up to technology to come up with some new way of sorting machines. Another solution to this problem is the implementation of composable, biodegradable packaging. The Post Consumer Plastic Bottle Despite the fact that bottles have been recyclable-friendly, there is still need for improvement. Most of the beverage manufacturing companies use bottles as a means of packaging. Other companies that deal with bottle packaging should join the Coca-cola company and Pepsico and launch programs that would boost recycling efficiency. They should also create campaigns related to the same issue. Online Purchasing Companies delivering products over the mail are often overpacked. This is a very wasteful approach. This method is mostly used by online vendors like eBay and Amazon. Solving this problem needs one to take the use of traditional packaging methods approach. The packaging materials may be made from sorghum which are composable. The Pizza Boxes These boxes are recyclable but turn out to be problematic especially when food scraps stick to the cardboard. This makes them be unrecyclable. The main solution to this packaging mistakes are mainly creating awareness to consumers. Companies should explain to consumers the value of the pizza boxes. They should also turn to environmental friendly solutions including the use of compostable containers and pizza boxes that can be recycled. The Toothbrush And Toothpaste Tube We are all aware that it is impossible to use all the toothpaste in a container. Well, this may be problematic as the paste remaining in the container makes it impossible for recycling. The toothbrushes are also difficult to disassemble and recycle because of their shapes and nylon bristles. Companies should use recyclable toothpaste tubes to solve the problem. It is a very difficult task to create an eco-friendly environment, especially today where different companies incorporate different packaging methods. Therefore, it is the consumer's responsibility to take part in the challenge by taking necessary steps while disposing of waste materials. The companies should also be considerate of what they use to package materials. They should use materials that are friendly to the environment and easily recyclable. This would put an end to all the packaging mistakes.