Business Forum • 24 October, 2024 at 11:19 AM
The partnership between producers, Organizations Implementing the obligations of Extended Producer Responsibility (OIREP), authorities and civil society is the recipe for success in achieving national recycling targets by redirecting attention in plastic recycling to flexible film. Nestlé observes an increased interest of the population in the selective collection of polyethylene packaging or other types of flexible plastic used predominantly in the food industry, attention which is necessary in the context of the constant increase in recycling targets and the development of the guaranties system.
This trend is supported by education and awareness campaigns, such as "ReciCLARea e totul", initiated by the company together with Green Resources Management, the National Federation of Parents (FNAP) - Edupart and the Sector 6 City Hall, a campaign aimed at explaining the collection symbols separation and recycling from packaging in the food industry and focus on flexible plastic.
The campaign launched in May 2024 ended this week with the visit of students from the 6th grade D from the "Liviu Rebreanu" Secondary School in Bucharest, the winners of the grand prize of the poster design contest, to the GreenGroup factory in Buzau, specialized in waste recycling plastic and electrical and electronic equipment.
361 works were included in the campaign, of which 50 were exhibited at the Palace of the Parliament, in an exhibition that showed the children's desire to have a cleaner environment, an aspect of which political and administrative decision-makers at all levels must consider.
The visit to the GreenGroup recycling plant reminded the little ones of the importance of separate collection and revealed to them the complex process by which flexible plastic packaging is given a new life. Also, the young visitors could directly observe the electrical and electronic waste recycling process, from reception and sorting, to disassembly, processing and storage of the resulting recyclable materials.
“We are excited to share our recycling knowledge and experience with the younger generation, and the success of this campaign motivates us to continue GreenGroup's mission of education and awareness,” said Alina Georgescu, General Director, Green Resources Management.
“Nestlé launched this project because, at the national level, a sufficiently large amount of flexible plastic packaging is still not collected. There is a need for Romanians to become even more involved in the selective collection of flexible plastic packaging waste, thus supporting the achievement of the national recycling targets assumed at the level of the European Union,” said Irina Siminenco, Corporate Affairs Manager, Nestlé România.
To be successful in the initiative to promote a flexible plastic recycling industry, the first steps involve educating the population about the special regime required for the selective collection of polyethylene packaging or other types of plastic films from the food industry. Unlike PETs, polyethylene packaging is mostly "dirty" after consuming the food. In other words, being in contact with food products of various consistencies, they retain traces of these foods. To increase the degree of recycling, before being deposited in the collection containers, these packages should be cleaned or even washed. On the other hand, this process could be taken over by a specially designed industrial facility for the recycling of these flexible packaging, but that would involve large-scale investments.