An Overview of Plastic Waste Generation and Management in Food Packaging Industries

Over the years, the world was not paying strict attention to the impact of rapid growth in plastic use. This has led to unprecedented amounts of mixed types of plastic waste entering the environment unmanaged. Packaging plastics account for half of the global total plastic waste. This paper seeks to give an overview of the use, disposal, and regulation of food packaging plastics. Demand for food packaging is on the rise as a result of increasing global demand for food due to population growth. Most of the food packaging are used on-the-go and are single use plastics that are disposed of within a short space of time. The bulk of this plastic waste has found its way into the environment contaminating land, water and the food chain. The food industry is encouraged to reduce, reuse and recycle packaging materials. A wholistic approach to waste management will need to involve all stakeholders working to achieve a circular economy. A robust approach to prevent pollution today rather than handling the waste in the future should be adopted especially in Africa where there is high population growth.

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Indicators of Land, Water, Energy and Food (LWEF) Nexus Resource Drivers: A Perspective on Environmental Degradation in the Gidabo Watershed, Southern Ethiopia

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18105181 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (10) ◽

pp. 5181

Author(s):

Zinabu Wolde ◽

Wu Wei ◽

Haile Ketema ◽

Eshetu Yirsaw ◽

Habtamu Temesegn

Keyword(s):

Population Growth ◽

Path Analysis ◽

Driving Factors ◽

Consumption Patterns ◽

Southern Ethiopia ◽

Driving Factor ◽

Path Coefficients ◽

Resource Degradation ◽

The Impact ◽

Land Water

In Ethiopia, land, water, energy and food (LWEF) nexus resources are under pressure due to population growth, urbanization and unplanned consumption. The effect of this pressure has been a widely discussed topic in nexus resource literature. The evidence shows the predominantly negative impact of this; however, the impact of these factors is less explored from a local scale. As a result, securing nexus resources is becoming a serious challenge for the country. This necessitates the identification of the driving factors for the sustainable utilization of scarce LWEF nexus resources. Our study provides a systemic look at the driving factor indicators that induce nexus resource degradation. We use the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to develop the indicators’ weights, and use a Path Analysis Model (PAM) to quantitatively estimate the effect of the driving factor indicators on the LWEF nexus resources. The results indicate that social (48%), economic (19%), and policy and institutional changes (14%) are the major nexus resource driving factor indicators. The path analysis results indicate that among the social driving factor indicators, population growth and consumption patterns have a significant direct effect on the LWEF nexus, with path coefficients of 0.15 and 0.089, respectively. Similarly, the potential of LWEF nexus resources is also influenced by the institutional and policy change drivers, such as outdated legislation and poor institutional structure, with path coefficients of 0.46 and 0.39, respectively. This implies that population growth and consumption patterns are the leading social drivers, while outdated legislation and poor institutional structures are the institutional and policies change drivers which have a potential impact on LWEF nexus resource degradation. Similarly, other driving factors such as environmental, economic and technological factors also affect nexus resources to varying degrees. The findings of our study show the benefits of managing the identified driving factors for the protection of LWEF nexus resources, which have close links with human health and the environment. In order to alleviate the adverse effects of driving factors, all stakeholders need to show permanent individual and collective commitment. Furthermore, we underline the necessity of applying LWEF nexus approaches to the management of these drivers, and to optimize the environmental and social outcomes.

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Founder effects drive the genetic structure of passively dispersed aquatic invertebrates

10.7287/peerj.preprints.3254 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Javier Montero-Pau ◽

Africa Gomez ◽

Manuel Serra

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Genetic Structure ◽

Population Growth ◽

Local Adaptation ◽

Growth Rates ◽

High Population ◽

Founder Effects ◽

Population Growth Rates ◽

High Population Growth ◽

The Impact

Populations of passively dispersed organisms in continental aquatic habitats typically show high levels of neutral genetic differentiation, despite their high dispersal capabilities. Several evolutionary factors, including founder events and local adaptation, and life cycle features such as high population growth rates and the presence of propagule banks, have been proposed to be responsible for this paradox. Here, we have modeled the colonization process in these organisms to assess the impact of migration rate, growth rate, population size, local adaptation and life-cycle features on their population genetic structure. Our simulation results show that the strongest effect on population structure is caused by persistent founder effects, resulting from the interaction of a few population founders, high population growth rates, large population sizes and the presence of diapausing egg banks. In contrast, the role of local adaptation, genetic hitchhiking and migration is limited to small populations in these organisms. Our results indicate that local adaptation could have different impact on genetic structure in different groups of zooplankters.

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Impact Resistance and Sodium Sulphate Attack Testing of Concrete Incorporating Mixed Types of Recycled Plastic Waste

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13179521 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (17) ◽

pp. 9521 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mahmoud Abu-Saleem ◽

Yan Zhuge ◽

Reza Hassanli ◽

Mark Ellis ◽

Md Mizanur Rahman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transport Properties ◽

Water Transport ◽

Impact Resistance ◽

Sodium Sulphate ◽

Plastic Waste ◽

Sulphate Attack ◽

Impact Performance ◽

Water Transport Properties ◽

The Impact ◽

Mixed Types

Impact resistance, water transport properties and sodium sulphate attack are important criteria to determine the performance of concrete incorporating mixed types of recycled plastic waste. Nine mixes were designed with different combinations of the three plastic types; Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), High density polyethylene (HDPE) and Polypropylene (PP). The plastic partially substituted the coarse aggregate (by volume) at various replacement ratios; 10%, 15%, 20% and 30%. The impact resistance and water transport properties were evaluated for nine mixes while sodium sulphate attack test was performed for three mixes. The results showed that the addition of mixed recycled plastic in concrete improved the impact resistance. The highest impact resistance improvement was achieved by R8 (PET + HDPE + PP) at 30% replacement which was 4.5 times better than the control mix. Water absorption results indicated a slight increase in all plastic mixes while contradictory results were observed for sorptivity test. Analysis of sodium sulphate attack results showed that incorporating 30% mixed plastic reduced the sodium sulphate resistance slightly due to the collective effect of plastic entrapping of sulphate ions after 80 cycles. This study has shown some positive results relating to the impact performance of Mixed Recycled Plastic Concrete (MRPC) which enhances its use in a sustainable way.

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The impact and effectiveness of the general public wearing masks to reduce the spread of pandemics in the UK: a multidisciplinary comparison of single-use masks versus reusable face masks.

10.14324/111.444/000031.v3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ayse Lisa Allison ◽

Esther Ambrose-Dempster ◽

Teresa Domenech Aparsi ◽

Maria Bawn ◽

Miguel Casas Arredondo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Material Flow ◽

Flow Analysis ◽

Material Flow Analysis ◽

Plastic Waste ◽

Cost Comparison ◽

Infection Rates ◽

Behavioural Research ◽

Single Use ◽

The Uk ◽

The Impact

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK government has mandated the use of face masks in various public settings and recommends the use of reusable masks to combat shortages of medically graded single-use masks in healthcare. To assist decision-making on the choice of masks for future pandemics, where shortages may not be a contributing factor, the UCL Plastic Waste Innovation Hub has carried out a multidisciplinary comparison between single-use and reusable masks based on their anatomy, standalone effectiveness, behavioural considerations, environmental impacts and costs. Although current single-use masks have a higher standalone effectiveness against bacteria and viruses, studies show that reusable masks have adequate performance in slowing infection rates of respiratory viruses. Material Flow Analysis, Life Cycle Assessment and cost comparison show that reusable masks have a lower environmental and economic impact than single-use masks. If every person in the UK uses one single-use mask each day for a year, it will create a total of 124,000 tonnes of waste, 66,000 tonnes of which would be unrecyclable contaminated plastic waste (the masks), with the rest being the recyclable packaging typically used for transportation and distribution of masks.Using reusable masks creates >85% less waste, generates 3.5 times lower impact on climate change and incurs 3.7 times lower costs. Further behavioural research is necessary to understand the extent and current practices of mask use; and how these practices affect mask effectiveness in reducing infection rates. Wearing single-use masks may be preferred over reusable masks due to perceptions of increased hygiene and convenience. Understanding behaviour towards the regular machine-washing of reusable masks for their effective reuse is key to maximise their public health benefits and minimise environmental and economic costs.

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Drivers of single-use plastic waste generation: lessons from packaged water consumers in Ghana

GeoJournal ◽

10.1007/s10708-021-10390-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sika Abrokwah ◽

Bernard Ekumah ◽

Richard Adade ◽

Ivy Serwaa Gyimah Akuoko

Keyword(s):

Plastic Waste ◽

Waste Generation ◽

Single Use

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Strategi Pengurangan Sampah Plastik di Laut Pada Kawasan Konservasi Perairan Nusa Penida : Studi Kasus Pulau Nusa Lembongan

Journal of Marine Research and Technology ◽

10.24843/jmrt.2021.v04.i02.p08 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 47

Author(s):

I Kadek Yogi Wiantara ◽

I Gede Hendrawan ◽

Widiastuti Widiastuti

Keyword(s):

Marine Protected Area ◽

Plastic Waste ◽

Small Islands ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Literature Study ◽

Single Use ◽

Marine Areas ◽

Internal And External Factors ◽

The Impact ◽

Hierarchy Process

Coastal and marine areas on small islands have a higher vulnerability to the impact of plastic waste, where plastic is a material that is difficult to decompose. Nusa Lembongan Island is one of the small islands that is included in the Marine Protected Area (MPA) and is one of the world's marine tourism destinations with various tourism activities in it. Tourism activities have a large enough opportunity for plastic waste pollution in the environment. This study aims to develop a priority strategy for reducing plastic waste based on the approach of internal and external factors on the island of Nusa Lembongan using the analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT), and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Data were collected by observation, literature study, interviews, and questionnaires. Respondents were determined by purposive sampling and snowball sampling. The results of the data obtained were analyzed using the SWOT method which resulted in alternative strategies which were then analyzed using the AHP method. The results of the study indicate that the priority strategy is to maximize environmental facilities and add segregated waste bins to create mutually beneficial relationships with groups of self-management services and to realize the prevention of the use of single-use plastic waste as stated in Pergub Bali no. 97 of 2018 take advantage of the support of local NGOs to carry out synergistic and sustainable socialization.

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Pengelolaan Timbunan Sampah untuk menjaga Citra Industri Pariwisata pada daya tarik Wisata di Bali

PUSAKA (Journal of Tourism Hospitality Travel and Business Event) ◽

10.33649/pusaka.v3i1.75 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 62-69

Author(s):

I Gusti Ketut Indra Pranata Darma ◽

Ni Made Rai Kristina

Keyword(s):

Tourism Industry ◽

Plastic Waste ◽

Future Generations ◽

Tourist Attraction ◽

Waste Generation ◽

Community Activities ◽

Single Use ◽

The Government ◽

Tourism Potential ◽

Alternative Activities

Bali is one of the islands with tourism potential that has grown rapidly. The fame of Bali Island tourism is well known to all corners of the world. Many of the people's daily activities become a tourist attraction for both domestic and foreign tourists. Every activity, especially those that give rise to this tourist attraction, produces waste both on a household and industrial scale. The waste produced is almost found in all sectors of activity, one of which is the tourism industry which is currently very much still moving. The increase in waste generation has prompted the government of Bali through the issuance of the Governor of Bali Regulation number 97 of 2018 concerning the limitation of single-use plastic waste, which shows the seriousness of the waste problem. Waste generation, especially in tourist attraction, has the potential to change the view of tourists on the image of Bali tourism. This research explores community movements both spontaneously and in an organized manner, such as the Trash Hero Indonesia community and other community activities that care about the high waste generation. It is hoped that alternative activities will be obtained to help reduce the generation of plastic waste that supports the implementation of Bali Governor Regulation number 97 of 2018. Activities from the community are expected to be able to maintain and provide a positive legacy for future generations.

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Founder effects drive the genetic structure of passively dispersed aquatic invertebrates

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.6094 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e6094 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Javier Montero-Pau ◽

Africa Gómez ◽

Manuel Serra

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Genetic Structure ◽

Population Growth ◽

Local Adaptation ◽

Growth Rates ◽

High Population ◽

Founder Effects ◽

Population Growth Rates ◽

High Population Growth ◽

The Impact

Populations of passively dispersed organisms in continental aquatic habitats typically show high levels of neutral genetic differentiation despite their high dispersal capabilities. Several evolutionary factors, including founder events, local adaptation, and life cycle features such as high population growth rates and the presence of propagule banks, have been proposed to be responsible for this paradox. Here, we have modeled the colonization process to assess the impact of migration rate, population growth rate, population size, local adaptation and life-cycle features on the population genetic structure in these organisms. Our simulations show that the strongest effect on population structure are persistent founder effects, resulting from the interaction of a few population founders, high population growth rates, large population sizes and the presence of diapausing egg banks. In contrast, the role of local adaptation, genetic hitchhiking and migration is limited to small populations in these organisms. Our results indicate that local adaptation could have different impact on genetic structure in different groups of zooplankters.

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Founder effects drive the genetic structure of passively dispersed aquatic invertebrates

10.7287/peerj.preprints.3254v2 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Javier Montero-Pau ◽

Africa Gomez ◽

Manuel Serra

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Genetic Structure ◽

Population Growth ◽

Local Adaptation ◽

Growth Rates ◽

High Population ◽

Founder Effects ◽

Population Growth Rates ◽

High Population Growth ◽

The Impact

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Identification of driving factors of land, water, energy and food (LWEF) nexus resources: A perspective of environmental degradation in Gidabo Watershed, Southern Ethiopia

10.21203/rs.3.rs-234895/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zinabu Wolde ◽

Wu Wei ◽

Haile Ketema ◽

Eshetu Yirsaw ◽

Habtamu Temesegn

Keyword(s):

Population Growth ◽

Path Analysis ◽

Institutional Structure ◽

Driving Factors ◽

Consumption Pattern ◽

Path Coefficient ◽

Driving Factor ◽

Close Link ◽

The Impact ◽

Land Water

Abstract In Ethiopia, land, water, energy, and food (LWEF) nexus resources are under pressure, due to population growth, urbanization and economic growth. However, the impact of these factors are less explored at local scale level. As a result, securing nexus resource is becoming a serious challenge. This necessitates identification of driving factors for sustainable utilization of scarce LWEF nexus resources. Our study provides a systemic look at the driving factor indicator that induces nexus resource degradation. We use Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to develop indicator weight and Path Analysis Model(PAM) to quantitatively estimates the effect of driving factor indicators on LWEF nexus resources. The result indicates that, social (48%), economic (19%) and policy and institutional changes (14%) are the major nexus resource driving factor indicators. The path analysis result indicates that from social driving factor indicators population growth, and consumption patterns have significant direct effect on LWEF nexus with the path coefficient of 0.15 and 0.089, respectively. Similarly, the potential of LWEF nexus resources is also influenced by the institutional and policy change drivers such as outdated legislation and poor institutional structure with the path coefficient of 0.46 and 0.39, respectively. This implies that population growth and consumption pattern are the leading social drivers, while outdated legislation and poor institutional structure are institutional and policies change drivers which have potential impact on LWEF nexus resources degradation. Similarly, other driving factor indicators (environmental, economic and technological) also affect nexus resources with varying amount. The finding of our study show the benefits of managing identified driving factors for the protection of LWEF nexus resources, which have close link with human health and the environment. In order to alleviate the adverse effects of driving factors, all stake holders need to show permanent individual and collective commitment. Furthermore, we underline the necessity of applying LWEF nexus approaches to manage these drivers, and optimize environmental and social outcomes.

Download Full-text