The Australian Food and Grocery Council, Australia’s peak food and grocery manufacturing representative body, has welcomed recognition from the nation’s Environment Ministers that the National Packaging Covenant has played a significant role in increasing consumer packaging recycling rates by 16 per cent over the past three years. AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell said it was pleasing to see last week’s meeting of the Environment Protection and Heritage Council acknowledge the success... ...Read more »

The Australian Food and Grocery Council, Australia’s peak food and grocery manufacturing representative body, today welcomed the release of the Senate Inquiry into the Management of Australia’s Waste Streams advising the Senate that it could not support Senator Fielding’s Drink Container Recycling Bill. AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell claimed Senator Fielding’s bill, in effect a container deposit tax, has the potential to increase the price of a carton of beer or soft drink... ...Read more »

Research and development work into boosting the recyclability of plastic milk bottles is to be launched by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme).WRAP is inviting tenders to develop a cost-effective label, ink and adhesive system for use on HDPE milk bottles that will not contaminate the plastic during recycling, with the aim of encouraging its greater use in new bottle manufacture. WRAP’s target is for 50% of the milk industry’s capacity to commit to implementing the new system... ...Read more »

The grocery sector has ended packaging growth in the UK despite a sharp increase in sales, the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) said overnight. WRAP has been working in consultation with the UK’s top retailers and brands to achieve this target and believe the sector is now on track to cut food and packaging waste. This success is the result of the ‘Courtauld Commitment’, according to WRAP. This is a voluntary agreement between WRAP, Defra (Department for Environment,... ...Read more »

Plastic recycling has been improved with a revolutionary plant in London being the first to recycle waste plastic bottles back into useful food packaging material. Closed Loop Recycling will take 35,000 tonnes of recovered plastic bottles, including milk and soft drink bottles and turn them back into recycled raw material for new food and drink packaging. The plant will divert a significant amount of waste from landfill. The first customers to purchase the recycled food grade plastic from the plant... ...Read more »