3 replies to this topic

[rosie]

Hi Everyone

I'm bitten by the recycling bug - the future is recycled PET.
We're only recycling 20% of it at the minute and of that only 20% gets made back into food packaging.

Its ideal for recycling back into food packaging, it reduces your carbon footprint, its good for the environment so come on demand it from your packaging suppliers.

Rosie

[Simon]

Is that RPET Rosie? I thought recycled materials in food packaging were a no no. Has something changed?

You're the expert now.

[cazyncymru]

Is that RPET Rosie? I thought recycled materials in food packaging were a no no. Has something changed?

You're the expert now.

At my last place of work, we moved over to rPet pots. Bloody nightmare!! we had so many problems with distorted pots, the foils not sealing etc, and when they did seal, if you shrink wrapped them they came away it was practically a full time job sorting out non-conformances and supplier complaints.

Do your homework, do loads of trials before you commit.

As an aside, we did not purchase these pots from Rosies company. The pots that we did purchase from Rosie's company, i can honestly say were of excellent quality, consistent and we had no problems at all.

Caz x

[rosie]

Very good point Caz

We work closely with customers in the design and manufacture of pots - only to realise that the customer "approval" usually falls way short of a thorough process.

Make sure potential packaging is well trialled on machinery before committing to a particular thickness etc as we often have to go back to the drawing board following fully approved pots.

Many of the customers asking for rpet pots are asking for a very thin gauge having aleady gone through the waste minimisation approach. Rpet is a very strong plastic - you will not get the clarity as with virgin and there will be some imperfections. Currently there is a world wide shortage of rpet sheet and believe it or not some suppliers will try to pass off virgin as rpet (funny old world eh!) - I beleive Coca-cola have actually developed a test which will distinguish virgin from recycled.

However, I still think there is a future in this plastic - it is an ideal candidate for recycling and there are a hell of a lot of PET bottles knocking about so don't put them to landfill!
Rosie