314

consumer news
What’s new in the
plastic battle
PICs: masterfile; alamy stock photo
By Katharine Wootton
We’ve all
heard the
worrying
facts about
the damage
plastic is doing to our
planet, affecting wildlife,
ecosystems and even our
health. But it’s not all doom
and gloom.
Thankfully, clever
individuals and
organisations around
the world are constantly
coming up with ideas for
how we can tackle the
plastic problem. Here’s a
look at some that are either
in the pipeline, hoping
to launch soon, or have
recently come available.
A tasty idea for packaging
How to package food safely without plastic
has long proved to be a nightmare for
manufacturers. But now many are trialling
packaging that is itself made out of food! Last
year Waitrose swapped from plastic punnets to
recyclable eco-trays made from cardboard combined with
dried tomatoes to package its Duchy vine tomatoes. And
we’re likely to see other shops following suit this year. But
it’s not just tomatoes that could be turned into packaging.
Mushroom root, prawn shells and seaweed have all proved
to make good materials for packaging in recent trials, as has
casein, the protein found in milk which, when combined
with a molecule called glyceraldehyde, creates a strong but
biodegradable alternative to plastic. While not strictly made
from food, natural materials such as wood pulp, compost
and bagasse – a waste product from the crushing of sugar
cane – have also all been mooted as hopeful substitutes for
plastic packaging.
From cutting-edge technologies to ingenious recycling, we
look at what’s in the pipeline to help fight plastic pollution
Brick building
A brilliant new initiative is encouraging people to
densely pack all their old plastic that has been cleaned
and dried into an empty plastic bottle, making what is
called an Ecobrick. This brick can then be sent to third
world countries to create eco-friendly building blocks. Go
to www.GoBrik.com to find out how to label and send off
your brick.
Getting
creative
with crisps
After last year’s furore over Walkers
non-recyclable crisp packets, which
saw thousands of customers posting
their empty packets back to the company,
Walkers has launched a new recycling
scheme. This allows customers to deposit
any empty crisp packet – not just Walkers –
at collection points around the UK, or post
them back to Walkers in envelopes for
free, where they’ll be recycled into
other items, such as watering
cans and plant
pots.
turn old crisp
packets into watering cans
20
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT