Plastic fantastic

Don't you hate all the new extra packaging on stuff you buy from the supermarket these days? You know, those extra 'security seals' under the milk lid. I mean, what the hell is that about? You need a Swiss Army knife these days to enjoy a simple snack.

I have to record that it's my pet hate about a myriad of products that insist on more packaging, not less. I remember when Dad managed the corner IGA Four Square on Oliviers Road, Christchurch, a great number of goods were in bulk, and you simply filled up the brown paper bag, or bought you own, and it was weighed. Zero packaging. What happened to common sense?

Here's some stats from a report about plastic and recycling in Australia over the last year:

• A total of 261,109 tonnes of plastics were recycled, an increase of more than 17,000 tonnes compared with the previous year.


• Overall plastics recycling rate was 15.3%, a small decrease from 15.9%.


• While the recycling rate for total plastics decreased slightly from the previous year, the overall consumption and recycling of plastic products increased. There was a significant increase in the quantity of plastics consumed in long-term durable applications.


• 205,019 tonnes of plastic packaging was recycled, an increase of 26,668 tonnes over the previous year.


• The plastics packaging recycling rate has increased from 30.5% in 2006 to the highest recorded level of 32.7%.


• The recycling rate for packaging made from polymers 4 – 7 has increased from 24.1% in 2006 to the highest recorded level of 25.4%.


• Of the 261,109 tonnes of plastics collected for recycling, 64.4% was reprocessed in Australia and 35.6% was exported overseas for reprocessing. The quantity reprocessed in Australia has increased more than 12,000 tonnes compared with the previous year. The majority of plastics that are reprocessed in Australia continue to be used locally to manufacture new products.


• The demand for plastic waste in Asian markets continues to grow, and this had some influence on the Australian reprocessing markets in 2007. Victoria and New South Wales continue to dominate the collection and reprocessing of plastics in Australia.