Understanding the Pakistan Budgeting Process: Basics and Key Insights
Green To Go Coffee Fest Seattle September 2009
1. Green "To Go" Packaging; Facts & Fallacies CoffeeFest Seattle, WA September 26, 2009
2. Disclaimer (1) Everyone has an opinion…..these are mine; backed up with as much fact and impartiality as I can muster.
3. Disclaimer (2) Technical vs. Practical A product may technically be “compostable” (or “recyclable”) but you (or your community) may not have the resources or desire to do so – thus from a practical standpoint you may not be accomplishing your goal.
4. Green "To Go" Packaging Fact Fallacy “Green” is a subjective concept. Sales of “green” products are growing rapidly. Manufacturers are rapidly bringing new “green” products to market. “Green” Products typically cost more. For a “compostable” product to degrade quickly it typically needs to go to a municipal or commercial composting facility. The desire for “green” packaging is growing on corporate and college campuses. All products marketed as “green” are - in fact - “green”. There are clear, indisputable “rules” about which products are more “green” than others (renewable vs. recycled vs. recyclable vs. biodegradable). “Green” is a West Coast phenomena – only. Only “tree huggers” and “granola crunchers” are into being “green”.
5. Definitions Renewable; A natural resource that can replenish itself over time. Recyclable; Raw or processed material that can be recovered from a waste stream for reuse. Recycled; Portion of a product's material (expressed usually as a percentage of its total material content) recovered from pre- or post-consumer waste. Compostable; Capable of being broken down (decomposed) rapidly by the action of microorganisms.
6. Accreditation Agencies BPI; Biodegradable Products Institute ASTM D6400 99 & D6868; American Society for Testing & Materials SFI; Sustainable Forestry Initiative www.bpiworld.org www.astm.org www.sfiprogram.org
7. Symbols to look for Sustainable Compostable Recyclable Recycled Cold cups & lids Hot cup lids Cold cups & lids (new)
13. Recycled Some (or all) of the raw materials used in the manufacture of a product have been reclaimed and re-used. Typically the higher the % the better Pre-Consumer (good) Often waste from the manufacturing process that gets re-used. Post-Consumer (better) A product that has made it out into the market place, was used and then reclaimed to be used again. Sometimes availability, cost & “strength” issues make this problematic Often recyclable….again
16. Recyclable Products that once used, if diverted to an appropriate facility can be reclaimed and then re-used in a manufacturing process for a new product.
19. Compostable Products that when diverted from normal trash and redirected to a municipal or commercial composting facility degrade quickly. Effective composting requires four ingredients (not normally found in a landfill) Heat Agitation Oxygen Moisture Being re-zoned to allow food waste (a good thing)
