Impact of recycling and environmental legislation

Social and political pressures are stimulating a rapid growth in environmental legislation and the framework of national and European directives is reviewed. The pressure for recycling and the incorporation of recycled material is at risk of conflict with safety for food contact packaging. Various recycling opportunities are reviewed, concluding that recycling must be directed only to where there is an environmental benefit; also that re-use must not jeopardize food safety. For direct food contact with foodstuffs, chemical recycling is the only confident way of ensuring product purity. Containment of recycled material behind a barrier layer leaves the question of barrier performance to undefined contaminants.