Waste management in food packaging industry

Abstract

The increasing amount of food packaging waste is perceived as a problem in urgent need of solution in all industrialized countries. According to the environment protection act, waste is any substance which constitutes scrap material, an effluent, unwanted surplus substance, article which requires disposing of as being broken, worn out, contaminated or otherwise spoiled. Waste leads to the production of significant greenhouse gas, methane which is over 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Source reduction, reuse and recycle are the most powerful and effective thing we can do to manage waste. Plastic Waste Management has assumed great significance in view of the urbanization activities. Plastic waste generated by the polymer manufacturers at the production, extrusion, quality control and laboratory testing etc., stages, as well as, by the consumers require urgent disposal and recycling to avoid health hazards. Various strategies are being devised to mitigate the impact of plastic waste in India.