Recycling innovators across the world
In part four of Recycling Spotlight, we look at innovative recycling initiatives around the world.
Under the current climate, sustainability has become a global movement. And as countries and people dedicate more of their time to recycling, the methods by which we can recycle – and the results when we do – are also improving.
It’s a shift in mindset that has been a long time coming: In 1978, Denmark became the first country worldwide to enact a law stating that at least 50% of paper and beverage packaging should be recycled. And more than four decades later in 2020, Europe announced new laws to improve the ways household waste is separated from other waste in order to be recycled.
Here, we look at some notable recycling initiatives taking place around the world.
Giving Germany the green light
Since 2016, Germany has ranked number one worldwide for recycling. In 2019 alone the country recycled 56.1% of all the waste it produced, and there are many reasons why, with local start-ups like binee giving people in-store vouchers at shops where they recycle electric and electronic devices in a binee bin. To make people more connected to the process, they can also follow where their devices end up.
Bringing new life to old oil
In Barcelona, authorities have been handing out “OilPots” to people so they can collect old cooking oil and stop it from clogging up sewers. What’s more, the pots have been designed to separate all types of cooking oil from any food particles so that once the authorities receive it back it can be turned into biofuel and other useful products.
It takes a village
For two decades, the people of Kamikatsu, a small village on the Japanese island of Shikoku, have been reusing, reducing, and recycling everything they use – in a movement that has started to spread across the country. It’s an impressive feat, but one that has taken some work: villagers must separate household waste into no fewer than 45 categories, with waste disposal taking place at volunteer-run collection centres.
These are just a handful of the many schemes and initiatives that are making recycling quicker, easier, more efficient – and more sustainable. And as part of this chain, food and beverage packaging solutions providers like SIG also play an important role.
As well as our ongoing efforts to make our packaging and packaging solutions more sustainable, we’re supporting green initiatives all over the world. Like Brazil’s Cidade+Recicleiros, which is bringing together municipalities, businesses, and people to improve how we recycle and make being sustainable accessible for everyone.
In part five of Recycling Spotlight, we look at how every bit of a carton can be repurposed to offer further value. To follow along and stay updated on other related topics, subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter SIGnals Update.
- February 23, 2023