Sustainable Food Packaging The Key To Plastic Recycling

Owing to the multilayer packaging that protect food and beverage from contamination, the recycling process for sustainable food packaging is being challenged more than ever

FREMONT, CA: Effective packaging is necessary to protect the food or beverage from contamination and to retain the product's desired quality. However, as technology advances, these packaging now comes in multi-layered constructions, making recycling more challenging. While the shift in lifestyle in response to the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way foods are promoted, it is concerning because Malaysia was found to have high yearly per capita plastic use in  2019 according to a study commissioned by WWF. Plastic garbage output currently outpaces plastic breakdown by a factor of ten. As a result, initiatives to decrease plastic, such as recycling, are critical. However, recycling plastic food packaging is expensive and has a greater carbon footprint since it requires pre-processing to remove food residues before recycling. Surprisingly, virgin plastic is less expensive and easier to manage. As a result, novel packaging materials consisting of sustainable and biodegradable materials are required to combat plastic pollution: Biopolymer-based packaging film can help resolve this. It is suggested as an alternative packaging to lessen global dependency on fossil fuel resources for packaging as it consists of sustainable raw materials and has a simplified end-of-life disposal.

Dr Thoo Yin Yin, a lecturer at Monash University Malaysia School of Science, stated that their research study generates biopolymer film sustainable raw resources, championing the green and sustainable strategy in food production. The approach offers an alternative to single-use plastic food packaging and may be used to package fruits, dried foods, oil, and other materials. It's non-toxic and easy to utilize as an alternate packaging material to keep food fresh and prevent rotting. The excellent biodegradability makes it easy to dispose of after use. Furthermore, because the food processing sector accounts for 10 percent of Malaysia's manufacturing output, this idea could give a long-term alternative packaging solution for the local food processing industry.

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