Module 4.2

• Food packaging wastes


  Wastes from materials used to package food
• Food loss


  Decrease in mass (dry matter) or nutritional value (quality) of food that was originally intended for human consumption
• Food waste


  Food appropriate for human consumption that is discarded, whether or not it has been kept beyond its expiry date or left to spoil
• Food wastage


  Any food lost by deterioration or waste, encompasses both food loss and food waste
• Production of packaging materials from raw materials instead of recycled materials leads to unnecessary use of energy and other natural resources
• Use of raw materials instead of cullet in glass manufacturing


  • Consumes more raw materials and energy
  • Recycling - more sustainable and efficient approach to glass production
  • Reduced energy consumption
  • Lower resource consumption
  • Decreased environmental impact
  • Waste reduction
  • Cost-effective
• Primary aluminum production


  • More energy- and resource-intensive than secondary production
  • Extraction of aluminum from its ore, bauxite
  • Land & habitat disruption
  • Deforestation
• Secondary aluminum production


  • Recycling aluminum scraps/waste
  • Less energy-intensive
• Plastic debris makes up 80% of all marine debris found from surface waters to deep-sea sediments (IUCN, 2021)
• Plastic debris causes starvation, entanglement, and suffocation of marine species
• Microplastics


  Plastic particles less than 5 mm in size, less than 100 nanometers (0.1 micrometer)
• Microplastics can cause digestive tract abrasion of or ingestion of toxic chemicals by aquatic species
• Improper disposal of food packaging wastes can lead to accumulation in landfills due to improper waste management and inadequate recycling facilities
• Plastic pollution is 4-23 times higher in terrestrial environments compared to water
• Impact of the interaction of microplastics with soil fauna


  • Ingestion
  • Toxicity
  • Bioaccumulation
  • Behavioral change
  • Microbial Interactions
• Plastics can release chemicals in the soil that can leak into groundwater or other water bodies
• Landfilling and incineration of plastics generate greenhouse gases that can contribute to climate change
• In 2007, approximately 28% of the world's agricultural land area was used to produce food that is lost or wasted (FAO, 2013a)
• In 2007, the total volume of water used to produce lost and wasted food is about 250 km3 (FAO, 2013a)
• Lost and wasted food accounts for 38% of the total energy use in the global food supply chain (FAO, 2015b)
• Production of food that is lost or wasted infers unnecessary use of fertilizers and pesticides that can potentially cause water pollution
• In 2011, 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions are associated with lost and wasted food (FAO, 2015a)
• Large-scale commercial agriculture accounted for 40% of tropical deforestation between 2000 and 2010 (FAO and UNEP, 2020)
• Local subsistence agriculture accounted for another 33% of tropical deforestation between 2000 and 2010 (FAO and UNEP, 2020)