Recycling Post Industrial Food Film Packaging Contaminated with Food Residues
GEMI is inviting interested organizations to engage in an industry-driven working group focused on improving recycling of post-industrial food contaminated plastics – GEMI’s Contaminated Plastics Work Group.
In late 2019, this work group developed a landscape assessment document outlining challenges, issues for industry consideration, and activities underway by other organizations related to recycling post-industrial food film packaging contaminated with food residues.
That assessment confirmed that while a variety of collaborative programs exist to address plastics in the economy and develop new circular solutions, such efforts tend to be predominantly focused on post-consumer single use plastics with more limited attention to post-industrial waste streams. And, for companies in the food industry seeking to maximize recycling of their post-industrial waste, flexible plastic packaging that has been in contact with food residues is one of the most challenging components of their waste streams since it is not readily accepted into traditional recycling facilities. Through this work group, GEMI is seeking to identify unique opportunities to enhance recycling and material management capabilities related to this material.
Going forward, the group’s goal is to bring together companies from across the food processing industry and supply chain, together with strategic partners and collaborators, to identify practical solutions to address recycling of food contaminated plastics. Please contact us if you would like to learn more about how your organization can get involved.