Research: WRAP

WRAP
http://www.wrap.org.uk/


Wrap were set up in 2000 to help recycling take off in the UK and to create a market for recycled materials. Over the last decade, Wrap have helped and continue to help governments devise strategies to deal with these issues through our expertise, research and practical advice.

Our work helps people recycle more and waste less, both at home and at work, and offers economic as well as environmental benefits
We work with a wide range of partners, from major UK businesses, trade bodies and local authorities through to individuals looking for practical advice. We always aim to work together with others to achieve the best results.

Designing For Re-Use   -   Key Considerations

• Ensure that the packaging is designed for and is robust enough for re-use.

• Check that your business partners will also treat the packaging as re-usable and will return it as appropriate, or that collection arrangements are in place to enable private end-users to return it.

•  Ensure that facilities for cleaning, repair or reconditioning are available if this is necessary before the packaging can be re-used.

Designing For Recycle   -   Key Considerations

• Try to avoid materials, combinations of materials or designs of packaging that might create problems in collecting, sorting or recycling.
• Minimise the use of substances or materials that might create technical, environmental or health problems in the recycling process or in the disposal of recycling residues. 
• Minimise the use of substances or materials that might have a negative influence on the quality of the recycled material. For example, do you need a colour tint on your plastic bottle or could you achieve the same effect with an eye-catching label?
  Materials & their Recyclability
  
  

  Recycled materials have been used in most types of packaging for many years. For some materials, there are trade-offs that need to be considered.

  Metal

  packaging, both steel and aluminum, has a high recycled content, and this has no effect on functional performance. 

  Glass

  packaging also has a high recycled content and this has no effect on functional performance. In recent years there has been an issue about what colour of glass to specify because, owing mainly to our wine consumption, the UK imports a lot of green glass, but we need relatively little for our own production. The surplus tends to be recycled into low-value applications, such as aggregate, that may not be as environmentally beneficial as bottle-to-bottle recycling.

  Paper and board

  packaging for non-food contact use contains high levels of recycled content. However, paper packaging with a high recycled content may have to be heavier than packaging made from virgin fibres. This is because each time fibres are recycled, they lose strength so more fibres are needed to achieve the same level of protection.

  Plastics

  packaging has seldom contained recycled content mainly for safety reasons, especially for food contact applications. However, technology has moved on and it is now possible to use some recycled plastics for food packaging.