Moving into the new decade, our Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry is feeling the winds of change as it moves toward a new model for corporate responsibility. Coles and Woolworths are attempting to inform t
he end customer’s understanding of what is, and is not, recyclable. That information is pushing back onto their suppliers to understand how the recycling stream works and what they can do to solve the information deficit.
All of the Van Dyke Press’s aluminium lids are recyclable. The ink and the heat seal lacquer are at such low weights that they are not regarded as contaminants. Over 70% of aluminium is recycled and using the recycled product saves 95% of the energy and resources required to produce the virgin product.
The real difficulty is the recycling stream. Aluminium lids that are torn off cups and put into general waste do not get recycled. The current approach from the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) is that foils lids are “Conditionally Recyclable” if they are scrunched into a ball and put into the domestic recycling bin. If they are scrunched into a ball they can be sorted at the recycling plant and recycled through the normal domestic yellow bin.
The logo for aluminium foils applied to a part of the packaging will show to consumers how each piece can be recycled. For more information and the link to the Australian Recycling Logo site is: https://recyclingnearyou.com.au/arl/.
Happy recycling!