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Lecture 5 - Packaging Recycling

1. Packaging Recycling

Packaging means the wrapping or bottling of products to make them safe from damages during transportation and storage. Different kinds of products need different kinds of packaging, for example, liquid products are packed in barrels and bottles; whereas, solid products are wrapped. Packaging provides protection to goods and ensures that these can be sold on delivery. The environmental impact of food production can be up to ten times higher than that of the packaging used to bring food to market. Packaging serves for the protection, communication and handling of the content. However, packaging material has normally a short lifespan, it is important to recycle the packaging material.

Packaging recycling - Plastic Packaging by German-MENA University Network & Prevent Waste Alliance (CC BY)

The life cycle of packaging is normally less than one year. Therefore, the management of packaging waste is essential in protecting the environment and preserving the resources.

Packaging recycling - Packaging life cycle by German-MENA University Network & Prevent Waste Alliance (CC BY)

In this section we especially focus on the plastic packaging. As mentioned in the previous slides, the packaging waste is managed under the “Dual- system”. The first step after the disposal and collection is the sorting process.

Packaging recycling - Overall recycling process by German-MENA University Network & Prevent Waste Alliance (CC BY)
Packaging process - Sorting process by German-MENA University Network & Prevent Waste Alliance (CC BY)

This project “German MENA University Network for Waste Management and Circular Economy”, implemented by the University Rostock (UR), Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) and University of Technology Dresden (TUD), Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), Constantine university 3 Algeria, Ain Shams University Egypt and Cadi Ayyad University Morocco is funded by the PREVENT Waste Alliance, an initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The contents of the Wastepedia course are the sole responsibility of German-MENA University Network and do not necessarily reflect the positions of all PREVENT Waste Alliance members or official policy positions of the governments involved.  More information: https://prevent-waste.net/en/.

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