Extended Producer Responsibility: - the food/packaging industries have had decades to self-regulate and what have we got? Compostable plastics that don’t compost, ‘recyclable’ materials that no MRF wants to touch, and an ever-growing pile of greenwashed crap.
Legislation with real consequences is the only way to fix this mess.
Strict bans or taxes on non-recyclable materials
If it can't be economically and practically recycled at scale, it shouldn't be on the market. Simple.
A mandatory limited set of polymers
Standardise packaging to PET, HDPE, and maybe one or two others. No more Frankenstein blends.
Prove recyclability BEFORE market entry
Manufacturers should have to demonstrate that their packaging is actually being recycled, not just theoretically recyclable.
Enforceable producer responsibility
If a company floods the market with waste, they should be the ones paying to deal with it.
The technology to sort and recycle is always improving but we can’t sort our way out of bad design. Until governments actually get serious and start penalising manufacturers for creating waste that can’t be processed, the burden will keep falling on the waste industry and ultimately, the taxpayer. More like this (recycling) - link - more like this (packaging) - link
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