Most snacks that I eat come in plastic or cardboard packaging, but some things are recyclable. Most companies will package their products with cardboard boxes with the actual product be packaged with plastic inside the box, and plastic bottles but keep in mind most bottles are recyclable. I think it makes sense that some foods like granola bars are packaged with plastic because they are individual products and you can’t really put them all in one cardboard box. Even though most drinks come in plastic bottles I think it’s okay as long as people recycle them but the extra layer of like a plastic wrap that has the design on it isn’t necessary. I mean maybe it makes it look prettier but most people aren’t drinking that product for the look of it. The packaging of a product is both positive and negative for the consumer because when people are in the grocery store if the packaging of a product looks appealing they might try it out but sometimes companies over use certain products just for the look of the product so then when the consumer is finished eating the product they are wasting more materials then they need to. Sometimes you can recycle some of the packaging like cardboard packaging, or some plastic packaging, but if the packaging isn’t recyclable then it just goes into the garbage. According to The Weather Network, less than 11 percent of the plastic in Canada actually gets recycled. Canadians generate approximately 31 million tonnes of garbage a year and the value of all food that is lost or wasted in Canada is roughly $49 billion. Canada currently has over 10,000 landfill sites. The decomposition of organic waste in landfills produces a gas that is composed primarily of methane which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Some things you can do to decrease the amount of waste or food waste we create is by using reusable plastic or glass containers instead of using a one time use plastic bag, or you can buy the exact amount of food you need instead of buying big bunches and then wasting it or you can buy things you know you’re going to eat instead of things that might just sit around and go bad.
Excellent statistics, Lindsey. Your suggestions are fantastic as well.