Keen to recycle but confused by packaging

A new survey has found that most New Zealanders recycle every week, but there is widespread confusion about what can be recycled.

The June 2011 Unpackit survey[1] <#1311b08c48986217__ftn1> found that 96% of respondents wanted to choose packaging they could reuse or recycle, and 85% said they always recycled at home.

However the survey also found that only 30% of respondents could correctly identify which packaging could be recycled locally, and which packaging belonged in the rubbish.

And the majority of respondents (62 percent) said they didn’t have enough information about the different forms of packaging to choose wisely.

“About a quarter of the people we surveyed thought a soft-drink “can” made from plastic and aluminium could be recycled, and 12 percent thought that the blister pack around an eco-bulb could be recycled,” said Sophie Ward, Unpackit spokesperson.

“In fact, both of those types of packaging go to landfill, because they are made from mixed (“composite”) materials. It is too difficult and expensive to separate out the different materials to recycle them.”

Ms Ward said the composite soft-drink can was an example of bad packaging which looked good.

“A composite can isn’t better at storing the product than a traditional recyclable can. When a company comes up with a new packaging design, they need to think through what will happen to the packaging once the product has been consumed, and whether it really is an improvement.

“We’ve had the industrial revolution and the green revolution, now it’s time for the resource revolution. We need to design to reclaim our resources, instead of designing for the landfill.”

Ms Ward said that consumers are doing the right thing at home by always recycling but getting consistently good packaging on the shelves required leadership from industry and government.

The survey found that 95% of respondents would support the Government regulating producers to reduce packaging waste.

“We were surprised at the overwhelming support we found for Government regulation to reduce packaging waste,” she said.

“Consumers want leadership and they want coordinated action to reduce packaging waste. Consumers are prepared to put the effort in to recycle, but it’s up to businesses to choose recyclable, minimal packaging for their products.

“A positive first step would be for Government or industry bodies to give industry clearer guidelines about labelling and good packaging.”

Ms Ward said it was encouraging that over 95 percent of people had identified that plastic-wrapped sweet corn, multi-pack chip packets and meat-trays were examples of bad packaging.

*What can producers and manufacturers do?*

To ensure consumers are able to make good choices, producers and manufacturers need to ensure their packaging is:

- minimal; - recyclable or home compostable; - reusable over and over; - well designed; and - clearly and accurately labelled.

*The Unpackit Survey (June 2011) at a Glance*

86% of respondents were concerned about the amount of packaging they have to deal with.

96% want to choose packaging they can reuse or recycle.

85% always recycle at home. 11% sometimes recycle at home.

62% feel they don’t have enough information about different forms of packaging to be able to choose wisely.

30% correctly identified which packaging could be recycled locally, and which packaging couldn’t be recycled in their area.

95% would support the Government regulating producers to reduce packaging waste.

For the full survey or more information about good packaging, go to www.unpackit.org.nz

ENDS

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