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Recycling international reports that south african recycler extrupet will be introducing a phoenixpet brand later this year in order to promote the use of recycled pet resin in food packaging. According to the pet resin association, pet, or polyethylene terephthalate, is a clear, strong and lightweight plastic belonging to the polyester family. It is typically called &ldquopolyester&rdquo when used for fibres or fabrics, and &ldquopet&rdquo or &ldquopet resin&rdquo when used for bottles, jars, containers and packaging applications.

Polystyrene is a strong plastic, which can be injected, extruded or blowmolded. More than 14 million metric tons of polystyrene are produced annually, and it&rsquos estimated that expanded polystyrene products make up about 25 to 30 of space in landfills around the world. Due to its chemically stable nature it is expected to remain there for hundreds of years. As a result, many cities around the world have banned the use of polystyrene food packaging. A group of students at englandbased university of leicester believe one solution to reducing waste is simply planting polystyrene.

New test protocol for adhesives developed to facilitate thermoform recycling in canada . Canadian retailers address pet thermoform recycling a new test protocol has been introduced to determine the impact of labels and adhesives on pet thermoform package recycling. Developed by the association of postconsumer plastic recyclers apr, in conjunction with the national association for pet container resources napcor, this protocol was instigated by grocery members of the retail council of canada rcc to increase the availability of recyclable packaging in their stores.

Masterbatches and compounds utilizing the mevopur colorants will minimize drug adulteration caused by leaching of substances from the plastics packaging, the company said. Clariant global segment medical & pharmaceutical head steve duckworth said within the pharmaceutical packaging sector there has been increased awareness of extractables and leachables from plastics and how changes in the materials may often result in unintended contamination of medicine.

The canadian plastics industry association cpia released a new report today informing canadians that their recycling efforts have increased the amount of postconsumer plastic packaging being recycled across canada. An additional 15 of plastic packaging was recycled in 2010 compared to 2009 as reported by moore recycling associates inc. This increase is the result of more material collected for recycling as well as more companies providing recycling information. In total, over 217 million kilograms of postconsumer plastic packaging were collected for recycling in canada.

The new plastic package is 100 recyclable, is bpafree, and uses 84 less packaging material than the former glass jar by weight. Planters says the change from glass to plastic will result in an estimated 25 reduction in trucks on the road to transport the products.

Combined with other efforts, planters says it has conserved 5.6 million pounds of packaging and shipping materials. The company notes that it will continue to invest in greening its facilities through energy and water conservation, as well as waste reduction.

A new report from research and markets , packaging plastics market report 2012, analyzes the uk plastic packaging market, currently the fastest growing market in the packaging industry. In 2010, the plastic packaging market experienced growth, following a loss in value as the recession affected demand in both the uk and overseas. The market for plastic packaging was worth 3.7 billion in 2011, an increase of 1.4 on the previous year, and a rise of 13.2 on the market size five years earlier in 2007.

London now, an intelligent food wrapping which will tell you when foods going off, say scientists who claim to have created the packaging that changes colour if the contents are going bad. The smart plastic packaging detects when meat, fish or salad leaves have passed their useby date or have been left out of the fridge for too long it also alerts householders if sealed packaging has been broken or damaged, putting contents at risk, the daily mail reported.

Washington a new study has confirmed that plastic wrappers, food cans and storage tubs deposit at least two potentially harmful chemicals into our food. By cutting out containers, people can dramatically reduce their exposures to these toxins. The chemicals bisphenol a, or bpa, and a phthalate called dehp are known to disrupt hormonal systems in the bodies of both animals and people, leading to developmental and reproductive problems, as well as cancers, heart disease and brain disorders. And both appear in a wide variety of food packaging materials.