Packaging Waste Archives - One Earth - One Ocean e. V.

Marine debris in a World Heritage Listed Brazilian estuary

guenther — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 19:51:48 +0000

Fernanda E. Possatto, Henry L. Spach, André P. Cattani, Marcelo R.
Lamour, Lilyane O. Santos, Nathalie M.A. Cordeiro, Matt K. Broadhurst,
Marine debris in a World Heritage Listed Brazilian estuary, Marine
Pollution Bulletin, Available online 7 October 2014, ISSN 0025-326X,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.09.032.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X14006419)
Abstract: Using monthly otter-trawl deployments, spatial and temporal
variability among the relative densities of marine debris were assessed
in the Paranaguá estuarine complex; a subtropical World Heritage Listed
area in southern Brazil. During 432 deployments over 12 months, 291
marine debris items were identified; of which most (92%) were plastic,
and more specifically shopping bags, food packages, candy wrappers and
cups typically >21 mm long. The most contaminated sectors were those
closest to Paranaguá city and the adjacent port, and had up to 23.37 ±
3.22 pieces ha?1. Less urbanized sectors had between 12.84 ± 1.49 and
9.32 ± 1.10 pieces ha?1. Contamination did not vary between dry or wet
seasons, but rather was probably affected by consistent urban disposal
and localized hydrological processes. Marine debris might be minimized
by using more environment friendly materials, however a concrete
solution requires adequately integrating local government and civil society.
Keywords: Marine litter; Pollution; Plastic bags; Plastic fragments;
Risk to marine life; Biodiversity hotspot

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Berlin duo launch a supermarket with no packaging

guenther — Thu, 18 Sep 2014 18:08:09 +0000

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/sep/16/berlin-duo-supermarket-no-packaging-food-waste

Berlin duo launch a supermarket with no packaging

Shrink-wrapped shallots and polystyrene-packed peppers are a thing of
the past at Original Unverpackt, a German concept store selling
groceries without the packaging

Leah Borromeo
Guardian Professional, Tuesday 16 September 2014 15.07 BST

It works like this. You bring your own containers and have those
weighed. Berlin-based supermarket Original Unverpackt labels your
containers. You shop. When you get to the till, the weight of your
containers is subtracted and you pay for the net weight of your
groceries. The label is designed to survive a few washings so you can
come back and skip the weighing process for a while.

Founders Sara Wolf and Milena Glimbovski say there?s a rising demand for
products and services that deal with sustainability and that people
demand alternatives to the ?lavish? handling of our resources.

?Here, the customer only takes what they need,? says Wolf and Glimbovski
ahead of the launch of their Berlin-Kreuzberg shop. ?We?d like to offer
an alternative way of shopping - one where we offer everything you need
but you won?t find hundreds of different types of body lotion or olive oil.?

Original Unverpackt isn?t a new idea. Austin, Texas, has In.Gredients
and Catherine Conway founded London-based Unpackaged - first in
Islington in 2007 before it moved to Hackney in 2012. It closed the
following year after the original business model changed to include a
restaurant and a bar. All three are independent shops exploring the
psychology of food and consumption.

http://original-unverpackt.de/

http://original-unverpackt.de/presse/

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Industry may not be paying its way in packaging waste management

guenther — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 20:01:10 +0000

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/newsalert.htm

17 July 2014
Issue 381

Industry may not be paying its way in packaging waste management

Many EU businesses are failing to cover the net cost of recycling
packaging waste, new research suggests. Industry is required to take
responsibility for treating and recycling waste packaging in the EU;
however, this study shows that producers in France, Portugal and Romania
do not fully cover waste management costs.

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/381na1_en.pdf

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Berlin supermarket would have zero packaging

guenther — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 21:09:27 +0000

http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/berliners-create-supermarket-no-packaging.html

Berlin supermarket would have zero packaging

A.K. Streeter (@april2462)
Living / Green Food
May 21, 2014

In North America, supermarkets have become giant warehouses with row
upon row of gleaming aisles, an ever-larger percentage of which are
filled with frozen foods vacuum-sealed in plastic and then covered in
big, bright cardboard boxes. Even Trader Joe's, once considered
'alternative' for their boutique selections of goods, are getting bigger
and packaging more.

Convenience is still king in our approach to life and to shopping. But
there's one inconvenient fact - even if we have enough landfills for
generations, our oceans are filling up and dying due to our penchant for
single-use plastic packaging.

In London in 2007 a group of intrepid eco-conscious entrepreneurs tried
to create a supermarket where packaging was at a minimum. The Unpackaged
store inspired lots of Londoners, but in spite of the massive press,
Unpackaged couldn't make it. In Austin, a grocery store called
in.gredients also eschews packaging, and though tiny (1,300 square
feet), the store is currently thriving - the owners told Entrepreneur
they get twice the customers they expected but those customers tend to
buy half what the business model predicted.

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Questions and answers on the proposal to reduce the consumption of plastic bags

guenther — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 11:44:24 +0000

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-945_en.htm

Brussels, 4 November 2013

Questions and answers on the proposal to reduce the consumption of 
plastic bags

What is the overall aim of this proposal?
The overall aim is to promote waste prevention and reduce littering. It 
requires Member States to take measure to reduce the use of lightweight 
plastic bags on their territory. The proposal takes the form of an 
amendment to the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive.

What are the main components?
The proposal contains two basic elements. First, it amends Article 4 
(prevention) of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, requiring 
Member States to take measures to reduce consumption of lightweight, 
less frequently re-used plastic bags (with a thickness below 50 
microns). Second, it stipulates that these measures may include the use 
of economic instruments (such as taxes and levies, which in some Member 
States have proved to be very effective), national reduction targets, as 
well as marketing restrictions in derogation of Article 18 of the 
Directive, subject to the Treaty’s internal market rules.

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