| By :
Eva Judge
Packaging suppliers in Australia are continually looking for ways to reduce the amount of waste that goes into landfills. After all, the food and drinks that you buy are packaged in a variety of different materials; once you've opened them, you're left with waste that could potentially end up in the landfill. Packaging suppliers have been increasingly relying on recyclable materials to mitigate this problem, and they've been cutting back on the amount of materials that they use as well. Glass Packaging - These days, plastic and aluminium are the most popular forms of packaging for food. In fact, plastic food packaging has exploded in popularity since plastic debuted. As a result of plastic's soaring popularity, glass isn't used nearly as much. After all, glass shatters; it can be dangerous when it gets chipped or cracked. Many companies find plastics to be much more convenient, and consumers tend to agree. Despite all of that, glass is still used for a number of different products. Recycling Glass - Glass is most commonly used to make bottles and jars. You may not realise it, but that jar of spaghetti sauce can be recycled. In 2002, approximately 320,000 tonnes of glass bottles and jars were recycled in Australia. That translates into around 1.2 billion bottles. If they hadn't been recycled, they'd have ended up in landfills and added to the environmental woes of the country and world. Recycling glass is very beneficial to the planet, and it's one of the biggest selling points for this type of packaging. Glass Recycling Saves Energy - Energy conservation is another important component of saving the planet. 74% of the energy that is needed to manufacture a new glass product from raw materials is saved when it is made out of recycled glass instead. The energy savings associated with using recycled glass are significant. On top of that, up to 100% of a glass product can be made out of recycled components. The average glass product is made out of 40% to 80% of recycled components, depending on the quantity and quality of the recycled glass that is available for use. Glass Packaging is Becoming More Streamlined - Companies producing glass packaging have over the years been refining their manufacturing process in an attempt to produce a more lightweight product. In turn, fewer materials are used and less waste occurs. In 1986, the average "stubby" beer bottle weight 260g. In 1997, a stubby bottle of the same size weighed just 180g. This represents a reduction of about 31%. When combined with recycling efforts, a lot less waste is going into Australian landfills nowadays - and a lot of that phenomenon has to do with the efforts of packaging suppliers around the country. As more consumers do their own part, this phenomenon will only increase.
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