Page 92 - FoodFocusThailand No.215 FEBRUARY 2024

STRENGTHEN THE PACKAGING

From Various Properties to Well Known Packaging human irresponsibility such as to discard plastics away
The reasons behind the popularity of plastic usages as the without the correct treating protocols is the root of this
packaging are the various properties as follows: environmental issue, not by the plastics themselves.
1. Mechanical properties where plastics can stand the Therefore, the proper management should be adopted and
pressure, tension, and tear strength. Comparatively, plastics implemented to ease this current problem.
are the lighter-weight packaging material but can hold a much For proper management especially for waste items, there
heavier weight. Moreover, the zipper bag made from polyethylene are 4 measures that are well-established and being adopted
is completely sealable and is proofed for water leaking. by the society as follows:
2. Lower cost Since conventional plastics are made from 1. Landfill or burying waste under the ground although
petroleum or fossil origin, the cost of this material is therefore it is getting less popular but, is still used for the very few
very competitive when comparing with other types of available selected items that cannot be handled by any other ways.
materials used for the same purposes. The main concern is the negative impact on the burying
3. Safety concerns are not compromised for materials that ground and its vicinity from the possible toxicity or pathogenic
consumers use to keep food. In this regard, plastics that are living organisms.
used as food contact packaging must pass all the relevant tests, 2. Separating all organic wastes and then the
including the migration test, which ensures that there are no fermentation process turns them into organic fertilizer for
plastic molecules migrating from the packaging into the edible enhancing the plant’s growth.
items. 3. Separating various wastes such as by type of
4. Reused and Recycled properties of plastics are plastics, papers, or metals, then reuse or recycle each type
confirmed. Of course, when plastics are recycled, certain of material properly.
mechanical parameters may be compromised but this issue 4. Incineration is burning the waste in the closed system
can be easily rectified by adding some additives to maintain or under high temperature, and then turning this waste to
improve these usage properties. electricity. This alternative is now getting more popular in
With all these 4 outstanding properties, it can be concluded many countries as it seems to be the best way to manage
that even plastics are the main culprit for a friendly global various kinds of waste including plastics. However, the initial
environment and plastics should be completely banned; investment to construct the standard incinerator is quite
however, we can stop using plastics at any time should we have substantial, therefore, feasibility should be calculated before
alternative materials that can be utilized comparably with plastics implementation.
but must possess these 4 good properties. As such, within this Sweden is a good representative for proper waste
decade, it is highly challenging for scientists to research and management where the Swedish have focused on
innovate such a material. incinerating most of the waste and getting electricity to sell
to their citizens. In 2017, statistical reports revealed that the
Implementing the Proper Management to quantity of waste delivered to the site was insufficient to
Solve the Problem match the incinerator capacity. This phenomenon came from
It is envisaged that plastic packaging has created so much the common consciousness of Swedish people that they
trouble for the global environment; however, should we have adopted the 3R awareness, i.e., reduce, reuse, and
profoundly consider the root of the issue, it may be said that recycle, as well as produce the discarding waste as little as
human behavior is the origin of this accusation. Due to plastics possible. As such, Sweden had to import 800,000 tons of
are understood that can be totally reused or recycled but the garbage to supply to the incinerator. This activity has strongly

92 FOOD FOCUS THAILAND FEB 2024

22/1/2567 BE 19:15
88-93_Strengthen the Pack_�������.indd 92
88-93_Strengthen the Pack_�������.indd 92 22/1/2567 BE 19:15