recycle right.
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Grades 8-12
Tutorial 5. Packaging and Plastics
Objective: Make a list of things your household does to reduce packaging, and a list of new things you want to try to further reduce packaging.
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Do bananas need to be wrapped in packaging? Sometimes, packaging protects products for consumers while also providing a space to display important information like directions, ingredients or warnings. Consider the packaging for your favorite brownie mix. Consumers need to read what’s on the box to know how to correctly prepare brownies.
However, often products are unnecessarily wrapped in single use plastic packaging. It is estimated that product packaging accounts for 80 million tons of solid waste per year and most of that cardboard and plastic ends up in a landfill. |
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When the packaging is made of rigid plastic or cardboard, it can be recycled. Equally recyclable are the glass jars or aluminum cans that hold many food or drink products. Oceanside residents are fortunate to be able to place these items right in their blue recycling bin at home or a City sponsored recycling bin in a public space. But even though many cities have made it so easy to recycle hard plastics, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that landfills have received over 26 million tons of plastics in the last few years.
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Even if you are trying your hardest to recycle packaging, sometimes you just shouldn’t. Soft or film plastic coverings or cardboard containers contaminated with food waste must be thrown away. |
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Check out the chart to see EPA data on recycling rates from 2017.
Which areas do you see room for improvement? How do you think the City could help encourage residents to recycle more efficiently? |
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Plastic water bottles fall into the category of one of the least recycled items. Sadly, tens of million plastic water bottles end up buried in the landfill every day. As the bottles break down they release harmful chemicals into the environment and impact our ecosystem. The good news is that there is an easy fix — if we can get everyone on board. If you simply refuse single-use plastic water bottles and instead use a refillable water bottle, you’ll be part of the solution.
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Aside from recycling, you can cut down on packaging waste in the landfill by repurposing glass jars or other containers to hold bulk items at the grocery store. The first step is to locate a waste-free grocery store near you, or at least a store that has a large selection of bulk items.
Reusable containers can be reused over and over again. One important thing to do before you shop with your own containers is to make sure you have the starting weight of each one. Many grocery stores will weigh your container before you shop and give you a printed label to stick on it. This will ensure the cashier will only charge you for the bulk goods inside and not the container holding them.
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What types of single-use, disposable packaging do you think we could eliminate if everybody brought their own containers to the grocery store? How do you think that would impact America’s waste stream?
Tutorial Challenge
- Make a list of the things your family already does to reduce packaging waste in your home. Does your family bring reusable grocery or produce bags to the store?
- Make another list of some new things you might try with your family to reduce packaging waste, like experimenting with glass jars and bulk purchases.
