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As we embark on 2017 a number of companies have rolled-out their packaging sustainability initiatives.\u00a0I have to wonder, what the heck are some of them doing?\u00a0\u00a0Last I checked the major problem is still the environmental impact that plastic waste is having on our planet \u2013 right?\u00a0\u00a0I assume so, considering the latest projections estimate more plastic waste in the oceans (by weight) than fish by 2050.\u00a0Which is plausible\u00a0since production is through the roof and expected to double in the next 20 years, while we\u00a0continue to\u00a0struggle with dismal recovery rates and an antiquated view of recycling.<\/p>\n
You might have also noticed an increase in the demand for clean, renewable energy.\u00a0\u00a0With the world needing to greatly increase energy supply in the future, especially cleanly-generated electricity, this has become a top priority.\u00a0<\/strong>So, with that being said, how is it that the major producers of single-use plastic packaging seem to be unable to truly define the most common means of disposal and the value that can be achieved by simply complying with this fact?\u00a0\u00a0Instead, they continue to irrationally demonize an asset that sits right under their proverbial noses.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s try this exercise together.\u00a0Let\u2019s say you\u2019re one of the giant producers of plastic packaging (Unilever, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Nestle, Pepsico, Kraft) and I were to ask you, what\u2019s the most common disposal method of the plastic packaging you produce?\u00a0\u00a0The collective and honest answer, albeit extremely basic, is a landfill.\u00a0However, before panic sets in over this fact, let\u2019s take a moment to define this a little more accurately.\u00a0\u00a0Because today, 85% of all municipal solid waste in the U.S. actually ends-up in well-managed and heavily regulated anaerobic environment that controls and converts biogas into clean renewable energy.\u00a0This is a fact and these facilities are generating power for communities and businesses, providing heat for homes and fuel for vehicles.<\/p>\n Can we stop pretending that this is a mystery?\u00a0Recognize the innovations around how we manage waste and see what\u2019s happening today.\u00a0GM<\/span><\/a><\/u> harnesses landfill-gas-to-energy for its 2.08-million square-foot facility reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a whopping 5,000 tons a year!\u00a0\u00a0Tammy Giroux, manager of government relations for GM said, \u201c(It\u2019s) good for the environment, good for business and good for the community.\u201d\u00a0Waste Management\u2019s<\/span><\/a><\/u> landfill-gas-to-energy facilities power the equivalent of 470,000 households, offsetting 2.5 million tons of coal and 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.\u00a0At the 2016 Resource Recycling Conference in New Orleans, David Steiner<\/span><\/a><\/u> (former CEO of Waste Management) specified, \u201cWhen you combine state-of-the-art landfill gas-to-energy systems with best-in-class recycling\u2026That\u2019s where you get the biggest bang for the buck environmentally.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0So why aren\u2019t these major producers of single-cycle packaging including energy recovery as part of the overall \u201crecycling\u201d efforts and ensuring performance compliance with this asset?<\/p>\n Please don\u2019t tell me that the molecules that make-up my bag of chips are far too valuable to waste and that it would make more sense to collect, sort and process this material into a worthless commodity rather than ensuring its removed from the environment and converted into energy.\u00a0\u00a0Or worse, jeopardize both product stability and performance (including the ability to recycle) to achieve performance compliance with the least<\/em> common disposal method that offers no end-of-life value.<\/p>\n