Packaging materials recycling and systems and standards

Packaging material recycling refers to all activities that will be used to store and store used packaging materials when they are about to enter or enter the waste container or waste yard. These packaging and packaging materials are collected and sent to specialized locations for valuable processing and processing.
1. The Importance of Packaging Material Recycling The significance of packaging materials recycling is significant, mainly in reducing pollution, saving resources and energy. The recycling of packaging materials is divided into non-effective recycling and efficient recycling.
The recycling of packaging materials is a combination of processing and utilization.
1) The recycling of energy-saving packaging can save energy. The amount of energy it saves depends on the amount of energy consumed in the production and the type of material to be recycled. Table 1 shows the energy consumption per kilogram of packaging material produced using raw materials.
Table 1 Total energy required to produce 1 kg of various packaging materials from raw materials on Earth

Production Process Electricity (MJ) Oil Fuel (MJ) Other Fuel (MJ) Total Energy (MJ)
Production and transmission of energy directly used energy production and transmission energy directly used energy raw material energy production and transmission of energy directly used energy raw material energy low pressure polyethylene resin 7.28 2.76 7.08 36.82 49.95 0 0 0 104.35
PET resin 20.01 7.59 16.09 78.57 60.74 0 0 0 183
Liquid aluminum 124.9 63.91 9.89 49 31.12 1.25 14.64 0 294.7
Tinplate 8.99 3.41 1.23 6.01 0 4.1 26.1 0 49.84
Kraft paper 16.9 6.41 4.03 19.67 0 0.05 16.63 17.89 81.53
Sealing compound 7.49 2.84 12.35 60.3 96.7 0 0 0 179.68
Cardboard 24.65 9.35 5.25 25.63 0 0.05 16.63 17.89 99.45
Glass containers 3.45 1.31 1.77 8.63 0 0.61 5.93 0 21.7
Varnish 16.2 6.15 20.6 100.58 151.54 6.23 73.38 0 374.69
Cellulose film 31.4 11.91 18.77 91.65 0 0.89 17.93 19.29 191.84
Polypropylene film 37.38 14.18 11.21 54.71 55.28 0 0 0 172.76
Shrink wrap film 43.68 16.19 12.17 62.36 52.45 0 0 0 187.45

The ratios of the energy consumed in recycling and production of several commonly used packaging materials are now listed.
(1) Recovery of aluminum packaging materials Energy-saving aluminum production is the ultimate energy-consuming packaging material. It is the most valuable for the recycling of aluminum packaging materials. The recycling of aluminum packaging materials can save a lot of energy. Studies have shown that recovery of aluminum can save 95% of the energy used to make aluminum from bauxite.
(2) Recycling of steel and glass packaging materials Energy-saving steel and glass materials are the only varieties of materials used in packaging and materials, such as disposable paper and plastic packaging materials. Because of its large amount of usage, recycling has great value, and recycling and energy saving are also outstanding. Studies have shown that the recovery of steel and glass waste products can save about 50% of the energy needed to produce these two products from raw ore and quartz sand.
(3) Recycling of plastic packaging materials Energy-saving plastics are the fastest-growing materials for development and application. Due to the complexity of its packaging forms, the recycling ratio is relatively low. Recycling of plastic packaging waste can also save energy, and the amount of savings depends on the recycling method used. Parts made of plastic waste or packaging containers can produce 85-96% of the energy needed for plastics made of pure resin. Burning plastic waste alone can save energy, but recycling and recycling save twice as much energy as incineration. For example, 45.4 kg of high density polyethylene has a combustion value of 19,000 joules, but recycling and reuse can save 38,000 joules of energy.
There are also some other packaging materials that have recycling value, and their energy saving is also very obvious, such as wood packaging materials, ceramic packaging materials. Because it is not too contaminated by the environment, it has not been recovered very well.
2) Save resources Recycling of packaging materials saves valuable resources. This is an indisputable fact. The purpose of recycling is to use, and the value of the packaging produced by the recovery and reuse of many packaging materials and the use of the original materials is not much different, or the value can be increased by adding a small amount of original materials. It is precisely because of this that it makes profit-making operators to collect recycled materials.
The recycling of packaging materials lies in the use and maintenance of the environment. There is almost no difference between the recovered metal and the original metal, so it has the same use value.
2. Recycling of packaging materials Whether or not packaging materials have been successfully recycled depends largely on the recycling system. There are mainly two kinds of recycling systems, one is government behavior and the other is market behavior.
1) Recycling system of government behavior This system is initiated by government departments, establishes corresponding organizations, and specifies their recycling franchises for packaging waste, such as China's environmental sanitation agencies and waste material recycling companies.
The recovery system of government behavior has the role of exercising government power and has the dual status of management and operation.
2) Recycling system of market behavior This recycling system is completely determined by the market rules, mainly for the purpose of value and efficiency, their recycling varieties are selective, and there are great changes in the choice of recycling varieties and market prices. Relevance, such as the formation of a large number of self-involved account recovery companies and the replacement of self-employed individuals are similar.
3) Comparison of the two systems The recycling system of market behavior has the most vitality because it emerges as an enterprise and conforms to international norms, but it requires the relevant management departments to establish and improve relevant recycling management laws and regulations so that they have both social and economic benefits.
The recovery system of government behavior is a quasi-government organization with governmental functions. As a result of many factors, it appears to be surprise and passive. That is, the efficiency and effectiveness of recovery are relatively good when conducting inspections or holding assessments. Relatively poor.
The recycling of final packaging waste has entered the market and is achieved through economic leverage and market networks.
3. Measure of successful recycling 1) Social reflection of packaging waste The society does not care about the disposal of waste generated in the production of packaging materials because these wastes are relatively uniform and manufacturers can easily recycle them. However, society is concerned about post-consumer packaging waste. The recycling of post-consumer waste includes the following steps: the collection, reprocessing, manufacture of products for sale, sale of all or part of the recovered materials, and the use of these manufactured products as packaging for physical and mental impact on consumers is Social concern.
2) Measure the standard The measure of the success of recycling packaging waste is whether the packaging waste recycling company can survive and develop conditions. The survival of any waste recycling company, apart from the government’s possible compensation and tax incentives, has to be more economical through recycling operations.
There are four metrics for the success of packaging waste recycling or the survival of recycling companies:
(1) There is a continuous source of packaging waste;
(2) There are available methods for recovery and reprocessing;
(3) Products remanufactured with waste have uses and markets;
(4) It has good economic benefits.
In any of the above four standards, failing to meet any of the criteria will result in failure. The factors that affect economic efficiency include the convenience of collection and the cost of processing methods. Due to the floating sales price of waste processing products, recycling efforts sometimes fail. Because the prices of recycled scrap and reprocessed products have fallen, the economics of recycling have shifted from gains to losses.
4. Summary In summary, packaging recycling and utilization is of great significance. All current recycling is categorized into two types: government behavior and market behavior. The success of recovery can be measured by the above-mentioned measures. Any recovery system can evaluate its success and failure through metrics.