Italy serves as an example and has already done ‘a lot of work’ in using compostable packaging, particularly for food-related applications.
These were the words of the representative of the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) at a hearing of the UK Parliament’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.
The Italian approach to using compostable packaging was mentioned as a positive example by Jenny Grant of the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), who spoke at a hearing of the UK Parliament’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee on plastic waste. Italy collects around 5 million tonnes of food waste per year with an average contamination rate of around 3%. “Compostables are not the solution for all plastic packaging and non-packaging items, but certainly in applications where they help bring more food waste, beverage waste or plant waste to organics recycling facilities, it is going to help us massively reduce that contamination and its cost,” Grant told the Committee. Grant also mentioned the example of a number of companies that offer compostable items to cafés and restaurants, and then co-collect them with food waste and take them back for processing. “The full range of compostable packaging materials should be properly recognised from the point of view of EPR (Extended Producer Liability), so the financial contributions made by the compostable packaging companies can be allocated to the collection and treatment of these materials,” she added.
A changing of the guard is taking place in the management of Biorepack – the national consortium for the organic recycling of biodegradable and compostable plastic packaging, the seventh consortium in the CONAI system, as the Board of Directors has appointed Carmine Pagnozzi as the new general director.
Recycling explained by those who directly operate some of Italy's composting plants. Watch the videos.
The fight against illegality in the compostable bioplastic packaging sector intensifies with the introduction of an online platform created by Biorepack in collaboration with Assobioplastiche.
Two years ahead of the deadline set by the European Union. The regulation requires Italian municipalities to set up a separate collection service for food waste, including EN 13432-certified biodegradable and compostable packaging.
An estimated 37% of fruit and vegetables are sold packaged. In Paris, from 1 January, 30 types of fresh fruit and vegetables must be sold without plastic packaging.
Contacts Telephone: 02 500707.1 Email: info@biorepack.org Certified email: consorzio@pec.biorepack.org Certified email for agreements: convenzioni@pec.biorepack.org
Headquarters Corso Venezia, 12 20021 Milan
Registered office Via Cola di Rienzo, 212 00192 Rome VAT Number: 15013551005 Economic and Administrative Index (REA): RM - 1562358 SDI: I7KMRGL