Leeds-based LVF Packaging has called on the packaging industry to adopt clear rPET Mono as the manufacturing material of choice for all trays in order to ensure they end up being recycled – a development it says will create a sea change in the disposal of trays that would please all the plastic naysayers
At present, different manufacturers use various forms of rPET (Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate) for manufacturing, which means it makes recycling trays en masse virtually impossible as different materials need to go into different recycling streams and sorting them out is confusing for the consumer and time consuming, costly and not commercially viable for recyclers.
In contrast, plastic drinks bottles are consistently made of exactly the same material, which means they can all be recycled and the material fed back into the manufacturing process.
Daniel Coates, LVF Packaging’s Business Development Director, said: “There’s been a huge amount of time and effort spent on finding plastic alternatives for packaging over the years, but to date, nothing has come close to matching it as the best option. The difficulties though arrive when different materials are used to make the same type of products and so restrict the viability of them being recycled.”
“Clear rPET Mono is, without a shadow of doubt, the perfect solution. It’s cheaper than standard rPET PE, which is a huge commercial plus point for it, while an agreement to use it as standard across all packaging would change the face of recycling in this country.”
“Admittedly, it’s not all plain sailing, as it can be more difficult to seal than rPET PE, but a lot of work is being done by an ever-increasing number of manufacturers, meaning this issue will be resolved quickly.”