Packaging: Norms and Habits to reduce pollution
Packaging: Norms and Habits to reduce pollution
Someone (especially the youngest) will remember that once, especially in grocery stores, most of the shopping was done with loose products.
The result was, of course, that mountains of paper, plastics, aluminum, etc. do not accumulate in our waste.
Now, regardless of the health protection standards of loose products that should always be verified and adopted, it is clear that something must be changed if we do not want to continue in this direction.
The energy cost to the environment is unsustainable. Every year the ecological footprint due to packaging is too high to hypothesize a future that goes in this direction.
Clearly the goal of zero (or almost) waste is not so utopian if you learn not only to differentiate packaging and recycle it, but also to produce less. You can start from containers and bags, often completely unnecessary. But it is necessary above all a political, and therefore legislative, action that induces a change in the concept of packaging if we want to resolve once and for all the link between production and waste.
It is not enough to differentiate if you do not start from the foundations: produce less packaging!
Packaging represents a mass of waste that we can often avoid producing. In addition to differentiating them carefully, we should in fact aim for the zero objective (or almost) waste.
Decreasing the quantity of plastic and paper containers and aluminum containers used is the first step to do it. This helps to enter the perspective of less waste that will benefit the environment and the wallet.
We need to reset the “packaging” criterion as something reusable. Thus, the packages that can not be disposed of can be re-used as containers. In a second moment, they can be correctly disposed of through separate collection.
Before the policy is concretely interested in the problem of packaging, it is a good idea for citizens (therefore we all) to work towards a new environmental culture through a series of lifestyles and habits that help our planet.
Below we list some simple habits to be acquired to decrease the packaging:
Buying products in bulk or on tap: from food to detergent and cosmetics, you can opt for these alternatives with less impact on the environment. Loose articles often allow savings in economic terms, thanks to the possibility of recycling the containers already in their possession.
Use the vacuum to make: the purchase of containers and packaging can also be reduced thanks to this practice. Choosing products that return the container is a great way to help reduce waste.
Prefer tap water: plastic bottles containing water can be easily saved. Just make sure you can enjoy the water in your area and get easily reusable glass bottles.
Bring the shopping bag: when you go out for grocery shopping, remembering one or more canvas bags is useful and cheap. The purchase of shoppers, in fact, affects the daily expenses and has an impact on the environment.
Self-production: both in the kitchen and for the hygiene you can try your hand at do-it-yourself. Try new recipes, avoiding the purchase of packaged products, is a way to save and eat healthily. Even detergents and cosmetics can often be produced at home thanks to simple recipes that only require the purchase of a few natural ingredients.
Limit the mono-portions: although they may prove practical, the trays containing single doses of foods constitute a waste of materials and an additional waste to be disposed of. Even during food shopping, therefore, it would be better to prefer formats that reduce unnecessary parcels and bags as much as possible.
In a civilized country, however, we can not limit ourselves to the good intentions of individuals. The population must be educated, addressed, helped and encouraged.
Criteria should be adopted to direct retailers to equip themselves with facilities that facilitate the resale of bulk by adopting health safety and traceability systems. There is a lot to work on but above all we have to be convinced that without a change in the regulations we will do more and more waste at the expense of social and environmental costs.
In this sense Western countries still have a lot to do. On the contrary, in some cases they must start from scratch.
This is Politics, of the GDP we have the “packaging” full!
Guido Bissanti