Attributes of packaging and influences on waste

Abstract

An important area of focus for the reduction of domestic waste is packaging and food packaging specifically. At some point in the life of packaging in the consumers' home, the packaging goes through a transition from something of use, of value and of worth to the consumer to something that is no longer any of these. Being able to indentify attributes of packaging that might have an impact on this transitional point to change the use or value so that the packaging is re-used, recycled or composted rather than being landfilled is very important in successfully diverting packaging waste from landfill.This research aimed to conduct a variety of tests to indentify attributes of packaging that have an influence on the eventual waste route and to determine what that influence was. The research included an extensive literature study looking at consumer test methods, current waste and packaging waste studies, and packaging design literature. This was followed by a series of four tests: 'bin raids', 'digital diary', 'visual survey' and 'ethnography'. These tests were designed to determine how consumers would treat specific examples of packaging in an end-of-life scenario and what influences those decisions.

A system dynamics approach for enhancing social behaviours regarding the reuse of packaging

“…For example, the research conducted by the Foundation for Reusable Systems assessed whether disposable or reusable packaging can save food from spoilage (Karst, 2013), and found that reusable packaging has an advantage of reducing the amount of packaging going to waste schemes and recycling processes due to its strength, consistent size and compatibility compared to one-way packaging. Langley et al (2011) confirmed that any products that fell into the reuse route were not thought of as waste by consumers. With regard to the environment, reuse is advantageous in several ways, according to the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment (2009).…”

“…The project found that incentive is one of the important factors, together with the quality of packaging to be refilled, which can enhance reuse behaviour and that, as long as there is a good reason behind the reuse approach, consumers will not mind participating in the activity (Lofthouse et al, 2009). Langley et al (2011) conducted a real case study in the UK to determine how different packaging can encourage and discourage the consumers' reuse behaviour. The study focused on transition of packaging and observed consumers' behaviour and found a relationship between shopping for goods and disposal of waste packaging.…”

“…The reuse of packaging has become a well-known attitude amongst communities, such as using different types of packaging material: glass, cartons, plastics, etc. (Langley, Turner, & Yoxall, 2011;Peattie & Shaw, 2007;Verdugo & Figueredo, 1999). Being able to identify social aspects influencing reuse behaviour which might have an impact on diverting waste from landfill is very important.…”

Eco‐efficient Value Creation: An Alternative Perspective on Packaging and Sustainability

“…In their article on customer perception of refillable paper, Lofthouse et al 11 essentially address the value side of design for sustainability. Also, the work on prevention littering by Wever et al 12 and the work on re-use of packaging 13 focus on the value of the packaging. However, these authors did not combine that value perspective with a quantified assessment of the eco-burden.…”

Study of defectoscopy of partially biodegradable LDPE films

“…The waste problem is also important because in most EU countries (including Lithuania) only 50 % of packages are recycled or used for energy recovery. Thus, the growing concern about the harmful impact of discarded polymeric packages leads to the researches and developments of polymeric packaging that could degrade more rapidly in the landfills [1][2][3][4].…”