Do you choose paper or plastic?

Since paper is less strong than plastic, a paper bag requires thicker material than a plastic bag with the same weight. Moreover, the combination of paper and water is not optimal when packaging flowers and plants.

Both materials can be recycled well. Most plastics do have one major disadvantage: it does not end in nature.

Would you like to know more about the different characteristics of packaging materials? You can order our Sample Book
.

Biodegradable

Organic fruit and vegetables, but also magazines are increasingly packaged in bioplastic. Bioplastic is made from plants such as corn, sugar cane or potatoes. The fibers of these plants are used as raw material. This is also called "biobased" or "biodegradable". They are renewable resources: you can plant them again and again. That is the advantage over ordinary plastic that is made from petroleum, a raw material that runs out.

A disadvantage of bioplastic is that (artificial) manure, pesticides and agricultural land are needed for production. Making fertilizer and pesticides costs energy and these products pollute the soil and water. There is less and less good agricultural land available worldwide that is needed for the production of food, wood, cotton, animal feed and biofuels.

In which bin do you throw a biobased plastic packaging? Various logos have been developed to help you with this. Compostable biobased plastic can be recognized by the Seedling logo or OK compost logo. Although these packages are industrially compostable, they are not allowed in the kitchen and garden waste bin!

This seems contradictory, but the reason is that the biobased plastic does not compost quickly enough. It is also not allowed to dispose it together with the plastic waste, because it has a different composition than ordinary plastic. Therefore, discard these packages with the residual waste. Do the same with plastic with no logo, but with the words compostable, biodegradable or biodegradable. Bioplastic is currently not recycled separately. On the other hand, the power plants are happy with it, because renewable material such as PLA gives a high energy value when it is burned.

How does a composting machine work?

Composting is an easy way to return organic waste to the soil. It improves the condition of the soil and promotes plant growth. Composting requires food and carbon, such as wood pellets, moisture (from waste) and oxygen. Together with the microorganisms present, these elements ensure that heat is created and the composting process is put into operation.

Recycling

Koen Pack prefers recycling, since it’s always better to prevent plastic from ending up in the landfills or in nature. This is taken into account when developing our packaging. Most of our plastics are fully recyclable. The key point is to educate consumers to actually recycle all plastics and other materials. Wherever possible we show the recycle logo on our products. Would you like more information about this? Please contact us.